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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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:
  • "million pounds" (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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "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.

Fraud email example:

From: Mike Ellis <mikellis184@msn.com>
Reply-To: <mikeellis.pin@msn.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:50:45 +0000
Subject: Greetings to you



Greetings to you
With warm heart I offer my friendship, and I hopeful that this mail will meet you in good time. However strange or surprising this contact might seem to you as we have not met personally or had any dealings in the past, I humbly ask that you take due consideration of it's importance and the immense benefit it will be to (YOU AND I ). If this e-mail letter of proposal fails to meet your personal or desired business ethics kindly accept my sincere apology, nevertheless, I strongly believe that it will. Firstly, my name is Mike Ellis the Group Finance Director to Bank of Scotland, United Kingdom. View my profile for more about me: http://www.hbosplc.com/abouthbos/Directors_biogs.asp
My proposal is that, during our last auditing I discovered a dormant account, with a balance of £15,000,000.00 (Fifteen- Million Pounds Sterling). From my investigation, the owner of the said account, a foreigner by name John Shumejda. After going into deeply investigation I found out that John Shumejda died on the 4th of January 2002 in a plane crash. For more details visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/1742404.stm
I therefore propose to do business with you by receiving this fund in any of your preferable account as the next of Kin, an empty account can serve provided it is valid. I contacted you because, if this fund is not transfer out urgently the fund will be diverted to the British Treasury as Unclaimed fund because of the law imposed by the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. For more information about the prime Minister decision on dormant accounts visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4017381.stm
I can assure as one of the Bank Executives and an expert in this field that, this fund can be approve for payment to any foreigner because their is no name attached the account by the deceased as next of Kin. Be informed that this transaction is 100% total risk free: and troubles as the fund is legitimate and does not originate from drug, money laundry, terrorism or any other illegal act. Upon the successful transfer of the fund to your account, you will be given 40% of the total amount while 60% will be for me. If you are interested, kindly get back to me as soon as possible so I can advice you on how to proceed for the successful transfer of the Fund in your account without any suspicious.
Warm Regards,Mr. Mike llis.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam