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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +2348076726379 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: DR JOHN UCHE <johnuche2000@indiatimes.com>
Reply-To: johnuche@indiatimes.com
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:44:09 -0500
Subject: VERY URGENT


FINAL NOTICE ON THE TRANSFER OF YOUR $15.5M APPROVED PAYMENT
FROM: DR JOHN IBE UCHE
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE
FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT
EXCHANGE CONTROL DIVISION
FEDERAL SECRETARIAT, LAGOS , NIGERIA .
TEL:234-8076726379
DEAR SIR/MADAM
RE: APPROVAL OF $15.5 MILLION PAYMENT
I am a director with the Federal Ministry of Finance and was instructed by the
Hon Minister of Finance of Nigeria to find out before the end of this
month, WHY
your contract payment/ claim of your fund have not been credited to your
account, after instructions has been passed to all various Government quarters
that all over due contract/claim payments should be released as a lot of
petitions by beneficiary's has been received by the Minister. Your
bank details
are what this office want you to reconfirm, with your telephone
and fax numbers, and any other information on WHY you have not received your
payment up-till date?. However I will give my assistance to make sure
your file
is in order for payment as two people came for the claim of the fund and
submitted account saying that you are not well and no longer
interested in the fund.
Yours faithfully
DR JOHN IBE. UCHE






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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam