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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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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "huge deposit" (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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "James Williams" <jwilliams_768@msn.com>
Reply-To: james_williams1@sify.com
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:21:12 +0000
Subject: urgent respones.

Hello Dear

Please kindly permit me to introduce myself and this business deal
opportunity to do with you. My name is Mr James Williams, a bank manager.I
wish to know if we can work together. I would like you to stand as the
foreigner who made a huge deposits in my bank.

The transfer would be made via swift and it will be a Bank-to-Bank wired
transfer.All I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of
this fund. I will compute your particulars as the person who made the
deposit in my branch, so that my head office will immediately order the
transfer to your designated bank Account.

Please indicate If you are interested or not so that I can give you details
on what we are to do, I urgently hope to hear from you as soonest.

Best regards,
Mr.James Williams.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam