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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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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)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "hundred thousand united states 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)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22998225943 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Jude Moha <judemoha04@msn.com>
Reply-To: <mrmohajude1@yahoo.fr>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:39:51 +0000
Subject: Urgent business proposal..



>From The Desk of Mr.Jude Moha.The
Auditing & accountant Manager Foreign
Remittance Dept of African Development
Bank (A.D.B). Office address.Carré 239,
Rue des cheminots Jonquet, P.O. Box
03 BP 2335, Cotonou Republique of Benin

Tel: +229-98225943

Attention:Dear Friend,

I am Mr.Jude Moha, the auditing and accountant manager of foreign remittance dept of African development Bank (A.D.B) in Cotonou republic of Benin. I am contacting you on a business transaction of a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though i know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but i am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

Proposition;

I discovered an abandoned sum of us$22,500,000.00 (Twenty two million five hundred thousand united states dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died in a plane crash along with his entire family. Since his death, none of his next-of-kin or relations has come forward to lay claims for this money as the heir. We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines. Upon this discovery, i now seek your permission to have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased as all cumentations will be carefully worked out by us for the funds (USD$22,500,000.00) to be released in your favour as the beneficiary's next of kin. It may interest you to know that we have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of deceased beneficiaries.

Please acknowledge the receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business endeavour by furnishing me with the following;

1. Beneficiary name and address
2. Direct telephone and fax numbers

These requirements will enable us file letter of claim to the appropriate departments for necessary approvals in your favour before the transfer can be made. I shall be compensating you with 30% of the total fund on final conclusion of this project, while the rest shall be for us for investment purposes in your country that you will propose to us.

Yours sincerely
Mr.Jude Moha.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam