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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: Godwin Temba <godwintemba1@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: godwintembaa@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 03:21:18 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: URGENT RESPONSE



Dear Sir/Madam,=20

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we have never met b=
efore, but need not to worry as I am using the only secured and confidentia=
l medium available to seek for your foreign assistance in a business. I am =
contacting you independently of my investigation and no one is informed of =
this communication.=20

I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of $11.3million immed=
iately to your private account. The money has been here in our Bank lying d=
ormant for nine good years now without anybody coming for the claim of it.=
=20

I want to release the money to you as the nearest person to our deceased cu=
stomer (the account owner) who died a long with his supposed NEXT OF KIN si=
nce August 1997.=20

The Banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more than 11 year=
s, because the money will be recalled to the Bank treasury as unclaimed fun=
d. Please reply me through this=A0my private email address(=A0godwintembaa@=
gmail.com) for urgent response.

Upon receipt of your reply=A0 indicating your interest in this transaction,=
I will send you full details on how the business will be executed.Please k=
eep this proposal as a top secret and delete if you are not interested.=20

Regards,=A0

Dr.Godwin Temba=A0
Absa Bank South Africa.
=A0
=A0=0A=0A=0A

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam