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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Mensah Addo <mrmensaaddo123@msn.com>
Reply-To: <mr.addo1990@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:42:48 +0000
Subject: URGENT REPLY NEEDED ?



From; Mr. Mensah Addo.
The Regional Manager,
Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana,
Tamale Branch.

Dear Friend,
I wish to contact you on a good business which I want you to assist me and receive this fund into your bank account in your country from the good report received about you and believing that this will really work out between both of us.

I am the regional manager of Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana Ltd in Tamale branch, a family man, devoted Christian and a man of peace. I discovered this money eight million two hundred and ten thousand united state dollars (USD$8.210.000.00) On the course of the last year 2008 business financial report and i have packaged a transaction that will benefit you and I, as the regional manager of Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana Tamale branch, it is my duty to send in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year.

I have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account with no beneficiary. As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank account and get 37% of the total funds as commission.

Please there is no risk involved, if you can work with my instructions and this business will be a bank-to-bank transfer, all I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of these funds who made the deposit with my branch so that my head office can order the transfer to your designated bank account.

If you accept to work with me on trust I will appreciate it very much. Email me with the above email address so that we can go over the details.

Thanks for your attention and I wait to hear from you so soon.

Yours truly,
Mr. Mensah Addo.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam