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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:
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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:
  • "necessary legal documents" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "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)
  • "% will be for you" (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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: =?utf-8?q?FRANK=20OKOHO?= <frankokoho994@yahoo.com.co>
Reply-To: frankokoho34@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:27:57 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: HELLO


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:frankokoho994@yahoo.com.co



- Law Chamber Principal Attorney Frank Okoho & Associates44, Kofo Abayomi Avenue,Victoria Island,Lagos-Nigeria.Attention: Mr/Mrs, Please kindly accept my apology for sending unsolicited mail to you. I believe you are a highly respected personality, considering the fact that I sourced your profile from a human resource profiledatabase on your country. Though, I do not know to what extent you are familiar with events. Well, I am Barrister Frank Okoho, a Solicitor. I am the Personal Attorney to Mr. Steve Dunlap, who used to work with Chevron Oil Development Company in Nigeria. On the 21st of April, 2004, his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident along Abuja Express Road. Unfortunately, they all lost their lives in the event of the accident. Since then I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my client relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to locate any member of his family but to no avail, hence, Icontacted you to assist in repatriating the money left behind by my client in a Bank. Particularly, the Bank where the deceased deposited the US$15 Million (Fifteen Million United States Dollars only). Consequently, this Bank issued me a notice to provide the Next of Kin to claim the US$15 Million(Fifteen Million United States Dollars only) in their custodywithin the next ten official working days. Since I have been unsuccessful in locatingtherelatives for over 3 years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased to claim the fund as the Next of Kin to him so that thefund will be transferred to your account by the Bank. Upon receipt of the fund, I will come over to your country to meet with you for the disbursement of the fund and then you and I will share the money in this order: 55% will be for me, 40% will be for you, while 5% will be used on expenses incurred. I have all the necessary legal documents that can back our claim we may make with the Bank. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please, get in touch with me to enable me clarify you further. Best regards.Barrister Frank Okoho (Esq).

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam