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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: "WESTERN UNION" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <western_dpt@mail.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2012 03:28:06 +0330
Subject: WESTERN UNION HOLDINGS.

    Dear: Beneficiary,
    For 156 years, WESTERN UNION has been connecting people. At WESTERN UNION, there's so much more than acrimony you're sending. Every sender and receiver is important to us. To celebrate our 156th Anniversary Switzerland, we're rewarding our customers with prizes of $600.000.00Usd because you sent money on-line, from an agent location or received money through WESTERN UNION you've been selected. However, you are required to forward the following information for immediate payment of your $600.000.00Usd (Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars)
 
    1.) Bank Name:
    2.) Beneficiary:
    3.) Account Number:
    4.) Bank Address:
    5.) Swift Code or Routing Number:
    6.) Your Mobile Telephone Number:
    7.) YOUR ID ;;;;;;;;
    8) Ocupation
    9) Country
 
    You will be contacted by a WESTERN UNION in the next 24 hours as soon as you forward your required information and you will receive the $600.000.00Usd prizes immediately from us. Save time, send money, earn rewards! WESTERN UNION is a service people trust.
 
    ANNIVERSARY DAY
    Thank you for using WESTERN UNION !
    EMAIL:WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER (western_dpt@mail.com)
    TELEPHONE +234-80-24-30-10-34
 
    Below is the First transfer payment details which has been insert into our computer.
 
    Sender's First Name=== Julio A.
    Sender's Last Name== Wright Smith
    MTCN === 623-959-2386
    Then we want you to type WWW.WESTERNUNION.COM and click tracking and pest sender's first name and last name,then you pest mtcn number and click check status to see that your first transfer of $5000.00 is available for you but you will not pick it until you pay the needed $195 for activation of mtcn number.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    We endeavor to maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to guard your Information. We also endeavor to restrict Information access to our employees, agents and representatives that need to know it. Money Gram will never disclose your personal or billing information to a third party.western union Money Transfer.

Anti-fraud resources: