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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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:
  • "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
  • "nigeria national petroleum corporation" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "contract award committee" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <r1001moore@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:57:02 +0000
Subject: MY DEAR GOOD FRIEND,



MY DEAR GOOD FRIEND,I KNOW THAT THIS PROPOSAL MAY COME TO YOU AS A SURPRISE, ESPECIALLY HAVING TO COME FROM SOMEONE YOU HAVE NOT MET BEFORE, BUT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CO-OPERATE WITH ME SO THAT THIS $40M WILL BE RELEASED AND TRANSFERRED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.MY NAME IS ENGR.RICHARD MOORE, THE CHAIRMAN OF CONTRACT AWARD COMMITTEE OF NIGERIA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION (N.N.P.C).IT IS MY PROFOUND INTENTION TO CONTACT YOU FOR THIS VERY IMPORTANT AND HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL TRANSACTION FOR TRANSFER OF $40M INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.THE $40M WAS THE OVER ESTIMATED BALANCE FROM THE CONTRACTS AWARDED TO BOTH FOREIGN AND LOCAL CONTRACTORS.THE REAL CONTRACT VALUE WAS $170 MILLION DOLLARS BUT IT WAS OVER ESTIMATED TO $210 MILLION DOLLARS.THE CONTRACT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED BY THE CONTRACTORS AND THEIR CONTRACT SUM ($170M) HAS BEEN PAID TO THEM, LEAVING OUR OVER ESTIMATED BALANCE OF $40 MILLION DOLLARS STILL PENDING AT THE BANK.RIGHT NOW,WE ARE LEFT WITH THIS OVER ESTIMATED BALANCE($40m) WHICH IS STILL FLOATING AT THE PAYING BANK AWAITING FINAL PAYMENT TO ANY RELIABLE FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNT YOU MAY PROVIDE.WE ARE THEREFORE ASKING YOU TO CO-OPERATE WITH US SO THAT THE FUND WILL BE RELEASED AND TRANSFERRED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.WHEN THE FUNDS IS TRANSFERRED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT, YOU WILL BENEFIT 40% OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT.IN THIS REGARD,WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO SEND US THE FOLLOWING INFORMATIONS:YOUR NAME:-------YOUR OCCUPATION:----YOUR ADDRESS:----YOUR PRIVATE PHONE NUMBERS:-----YOUR PRIVATE FAX NUMBER:--------YOUR REPLY AND INFORMATION REQUIRED SHOULD BE URGENT SO THAT WE WILL SUBMIT APPLICATION TO THE PAYING BANK FOR TRANSFER OF THE FUNDS INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.I AM EXPECTING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOONEST.THANKS AND BEST REGARDS.YOURS FAITHFULLY,ENGR.RICHARD MOORE.CHAIRMAN,CONTRACT AWARD COMMITTEE,

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam