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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• 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:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "might come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million pounds" (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)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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.
• 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.
  • toddwilliams003@googlemail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Amy Laslett" <alaslett@oxy.edu>
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 08:58:20 -0700
Subject: CONTACT ME ON (toddwilliams003@googlemail.com)



FROM: THE DESK OF TODD WILLIAMS (Mr.)

This mail might come to you as a surprise and the temptation to ignore it as serious could come into your mind but please consider it with a divine wish and accept it with a deep sense of humility.Before proceeding, I wish to introduce myself to you; I am Todd Williams a staff of Natwest Bank plc London. I am the head of the accounts department.I am pleased to get across to you for a very urgent and profitable business proposal which I believe will profit the both of us after completion. I contacted you after a careful thought that you might be capable of handling this business transaction, which i explained below.

The sum of ( £ 18,500,000.00 Million Pounds), has been floating as unclaimed since 2000 in my bank as all efforts to get across the relatives of our client who deposited the money have hit the stones.There is this immigrant Mr. Andreas schranner, property magnate who was based in the U.K., who happens to be one of our very good clients. On the 25Th of July 2000, Mr. Andreas schranner, his wife Maria , their daughter Andréa eich, her husband Christian, and their children katharina and maximilian all died in the air France concord plane crash bound for New York in their plan for a world cruise.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

All attempts to trace his next of kin were fruitless. My position here at my office requires me to investigate and I therefore made further investigations and discovered that Mr. Andreas Schranner did not declare any next of kin or relation in all his official documents, including his bank deposit paperwork in my bank.According to the British Law. The money will revert to the ownership of the British government if nobody applies to claim the fund.

To avoid this money being sent to the British treasury as unclaimed funds, I have decided to seek your assistance to have you stand as his next of kin so that the said fund ( £ 18,500,000.00 million pounds), would be released in your name as the next of kin and paid into your account. All documents and proof that will have you claim this fund will be forwarded to you without any stress upon your response to this mail more soon, i want to inform you that i have unanimously agreed to offer you ( £7.2M ) of the total sum for the assistance and role you are going to play in this transaction,(£2.8 M)will be given to charity organizations in your country with your supervision while the remaining will be for me. Please send your confidential telephone and fax number in your reply to this business transaction. PLEASE CHANNEL YOUR RESPONSE TO: toddwilliams003@googlemail.com

Kind regards,
Mr. TODD WILLIAMS
ACCOUNTS OFFICER .

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam