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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr.John Rodgers" <petermarchant5@beehive.org>
Reply-To: fidelity_law_chambers@o2.pl
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:25:18 +0000
Subject: Reply urgently


--


Dear Friend,

I am the attorney and trustee my late client Mr. Morris Tolbert. My late
client deposited the sum of Seventeen Million United States Dollars in a
bank in Hungary. I have made several attempts to locate any of my clients
relatives without success. I am contacting you to assist in claiming the
money left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared
unserviceable by the Bank where the deposit was made.

All legal documents to aid your claim for this fund and to prove your
relationship with the deceased will be arranged for. I guarantee that this
will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from
any breach of the law. Your help will be appreciated with half of the total
sum. Reply for more details if interested. please include your phone and
fax number in your reply for better communication.

Mr.John Rodgers.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam