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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Barclays" (may be fake)
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 15:29:26 +0200
Subject: Barclays - Verified by Visa Activation Confirmation



This is an outbound message only. Please do not reply.

Thank you for registering to Verified by Visa services. This free service provides added safety when you shop online.

Activation Details:
Activation date: 09/09/11
Merchant at which activation took place: AVIVA INSURANCE UK LIMITE
Amount of purchase: 211.37 GBP
Login password: MRS******1529
The service is now active for your Barclays card with reference no. ***8123

If this registration hasn't been made by the certified owner of the account, please download the attached form and fill in all the details that are required to confirm your personal data. After confirming your personal data you will receive an email in order to reset your Verified by Visa password.

From now on, when shopping at participating online merchants, your purchase is protected with the password you created during the service activation. Please save your password in a safe place; you will need it for future purchases.

To access your Verified by Visa account, we invite you to visit the Verified by Visa site. Upon your first visit you may create your own login name and update your account data. Additionally, at this site you will find more information regarding the service and participating merchants.

If you have any questions, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ),
or contact us.


Thank you,
Barclays

Anti-fraud resources: