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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: raphal laurent <raphal_r2001@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 22:12:14 -0800 (PST)
Subject: PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL


ATTENTION:FRIEND

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
I am MR. RAPHAL LAURENT, the chief executive of (ADB) AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK HERE IN COTE D'IVOIRE. There is an account opened in this bank in 1999 and since 2001 and nobody has operated on this account again. After going through some old files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money out urgently it would beforfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is Mr Smith B. Andréa’s, a foreigner, and a miner at Gold Company, a geologist by profession and died since 2000. No other person knows this account or anything concerning it, the account has no beneficiary and my nvestigation proved to me as well that the company does not know anything about this account and the money in this account is (Forty Five Million United States Dollars)

I want to transfer US$15 Million into your safe account overseas account. I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a local bank here about can only be approved to any foreign account because the money is in United State Dollars and the former owner Mr.Smith B. Andrea’s, a foreigner too. I know that this message will come to you as a surprise as we don’t know ourselves before. We will sign an agreement, but be sure that it is real and genuine business. I only got your contact from internal affairs department; with believe in God that you will never let me down in this business, considering my position as a public servant. You are the only person that I have contacted in this business, so please reply me urgently so that I will inform you on the next step to take immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the full details of your account to be used for the deposit. I want us to meet face to face to sign a binding
agreement to bind us together so that you can receive this safe. And I will fly to your country for withdrawal and sharing and other investment.

Meanwhile, I am contacting you because of the need to involve a foreigner with a foreign account and foreign beneficiary. I need your full co-operation to make this work fine because the management is ready to approve this payment to any foreigner who has the correct information of this account, which I will give you soon as you indicate your sincerity to co-operate with me, and capability to handle such an amount in strict confidence and trust according to my instruction and Advice for our mutual benefit because this opportunity may never come again in my life.

I need a truthful and God fearing person in this business because I do not want to make mistake so I Need your strong assurance and trust. With my position in the office I don’t want anything that will Jeopardize my job so I advice that we should make secrecy and confidentiality our primary working condition, bearing in mind that I am a public servant I will also use my position and influence to effect legal approvals and onward transfer of this of this money into your account with appropriate clearance form of the ministries and foreign exchange department. At the Conclusion of this business, you will be given 20% of the total amount, 80% will be for me, I look forward to your earliest reply.

Yours Sincerely
MR. RAPHAL LAURENT




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