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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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:
  • "your urgent reply" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "charles jimoh" <charlesjimoh4@msn.com>
Reply-To: charlesjimoh1@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 04:05:40 +0000
Subject: Trusting you

City Trust Bank Plc,
06 Bp 1409 Akpakpa Dodomey
Port novo
Cotonou Republic of Benin.

Attn: Sir/Madam,

I am (Mr. Charles Jimoh) the bank manager of City Trust Bank Plc Cotonou
Republic of Benin
I will like to have a very brief business with you, there is a dormant
account in my bank with a credit balance of (USD$17.5) seventeen million
five hundred united dollars has been dormant for about five years now, on my
further investigation I discovered that the owner of the account is a
foreigner (Mr. Robert Goodall) who died five years ago in a motor accident
along side his wife and two children, coincidentally but left no information
about his next of kin for the account because he was hiding the source of
the money from the government. What I need from you is to use your name as
the beneficiary and next of kin to the original account owner and then I
will use my position as the Bank Manger to give Clearance and onward
remission of the fund into your nominated account.

I will supply you with all necessary information about the account, which
you will present to the bank through a lawyer, after the bank has accepted
your application then I will go ahead and destroy every documents associated
with this transaction and we will go ahead and share the money at the ratio
35% for your services to me and 60% for me, the remaining 5%will be set
aside for any expenses incurred during this transaction.

Please your urgent reply is highly needed so as to stop further contacts,
kindly include your full name, Home/office address, telephone and fax
numbers, Nationality, occupation and Age.

Thanks,

Best Regard,

Mr. Charles Jimoh

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam