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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:
  • "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 next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • +27865666015 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Alan Thompson <alan-014@msn.com>
Reply-To: <xxx.pin3@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 12:44:38 +0000
Subject: Greetings From:Mr.Alan Thompson,



Greetings From:Mr.Alan Thompson,Address:#34princess cresent off CordialAve,Johannesburg,South Africa.P.O. BOX 66Tel/Fax: +27865666015 I am ( Mr.Alan Thompson) the operational manager in charge of credit and foreign bills.of (First Rand bank LTD) here
in south Africa in one of our auditing I discover about {$48,000.000.00 Usd } Forty Eight Million USDOLLARS in a
dormant account. Further investigation proves that the account owner was a foreigner and he is dead with all members of his family in
a plane crash on 3rd jan 2004.
all effort to reach his people proves abortive.I am contacting you as a foreigner to stand as next of kin to the
deceased so that the fund can be release to your account because the former was a foreigner. At the conculsion of the transfer you will take 40% while 55% will be for me and my partner and 5% will be for any
expenses that might involve. If you are Interested reply me urgently.
yours sincerely, Mr.Alan Thompson.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam