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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million us 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)
  • "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)
  • "dormant account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +2341111 (Nigeria, landline)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Gerald Balden" <ubs.sc01@msn.com>
Reply-To: <mrbalden@executivemail.co.za>
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:05:02 +0000
Subject: From Bank UBS AG Switzerland



From Bank UBS AG SwitzerlandPostfach 8098 ZürichSwitzerland Tel: (+41.44) 234 11 11Swiss Clearing Number:230Postal Account: 80-2-2SWIFT: UBSW CH ZH 80A Web site: www.ubs.com
Dear Friend,I am an investment consultant working with Bank UBS AG Zurich at their offshore department
Zurich Switzerland . I will be happy to work this deal out with you if you have a corporate or
personal Bank Account and if you are capable to keep TOP SECRET. I need strong Assurance
that you will never let me down, if I transfer this money to your account. During one of our periodic auditing I discovered a dormant accounts with holding balance of US$
232,000.000.00 {Two hundred and Thirty Two million US Dollars only} Sometimes a person will
open a bank account, deposit money, and then disappear into the tin air. Banks are not always
able to find out what has become of these silent customers, or to know whether they should
follow up on requests from people who claim to be heirs to the accounts. The main problem is
that the customer resides abroad and, due to bank secrecy, the bank cannot publish notices in
the international press to locate the depositaries. This has led the majority of Swiss banks to
refrain from opening small-deposit accounts for foreign customers; for fear that they will forget
that the account exists.
It has happened in the past, however, that customers pass away and their heirs can neither
prove the death, nor their heir ship. This was a frequent occurrence during the wartime periods,
and the banks have now set up a simple, rapid resolution procedure operating to their
customers’ advantage. Dormant assets are defined as any assets deposited with a bank (i.e. an
account, a custody account or a safety-deposit box) for which there has been no contact with
the customer in the bank’s files for the last ten years or more. If you believe you have claim to a
Swiss bank account for which the holder (e.g. an ancestor) has not been in contact with the
bank for over ten years, there is a fairly simple procedure to follow, depending on the date the
account was opened this account has not been operated for the past years. As at this moment,
I am constrained to issue more details about this business until your response is received.If you
are not familiar with Swiss Dormant Accounts and profile, please take a moment of your very
busy schedules to read about Swiss dormant accounts:
website;http://www.crt-ii.org/2001_list/publication_list1_A.phtm If you know that you are
capable to handle large or small amount on trust and can keep secret and ready to take 40% of
any amount I transfer to your account from the dormant account and I will take 60%, send your
account information’s by return mail. Tell me more about yourself, while I look forward to
receive the above information.
I want to re-assure you that this business is risk free and you can send an empty account to
receive the funds, provided that the account is capable to receive incoming funds. Thank you for your time and attention.Warmest regards,Mr. Gerald Balden.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam