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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united state 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)
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "i have a new email address!" (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • plhunter@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Desmond Etzel <plhunter@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: princessbolkiah001@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 02:17:44 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: ENGAGING YOUR SERVICE


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: plhunter@yahoo.com



- Dear Friend,I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we never met before.I am a staff of International Commercial Bank Ghana, in the file/computer department,I got your contact through Internet business proposal so I decide to contact you on this business opportunity. I hoped that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that i am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families. i need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of ($10.6M) million united state dollars,Immediately to your account. the money has been dormant (in-active) for 7 years in our bank here without any body coming for it. I want to release the fund to you as the nearest person to our deceased customer (the owner of the account) who died in an aircrash on November 15, 2000 with his family when Antonov plane crashes in Angola leaving 41 dead.I don't want the fund to go into our bank treasury as an abandoned fund, so this is the reason why i contacte!
d you, so that my bank will release the fund to you as the nearest person to the deceased customer. Please i would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested.Upon receipt of your reply, i will send you the application form which you will send to our bank as the next of kin and also note that you will have 30% of the above mentioned amount if you agree to help me execute this business. While 70% is for me.The transfer is risk free on both sides hence you are going to follow my instruction till the fund transfer to your account. More details information with the text of application form will be forwarded to you to breakdown explaining comprehensively what require of you.Thanks and waiting for your urgent response,Best regards Desmond Etzel

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam