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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "there are practically no risks involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Muhammed Ali" <muhammed_ali2004@msn.com>
Reply-To: mohammedali4mh@netscape.net
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 11:49:26 +0000
Subject: YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED!!

FROM THE DESK OF.THE REGIONAL
MANAGER Mr.MUHAMMED ALI,
Phone: +233-243-561488
Fax: +233 27 621073
Email:muhammed_ali2004@msn.com

CONFIDENTIAL,

My name is Mr. MUHAMMED ALI, I am the regional manager bank of Ghana
takoradi branch in the western region of Ghana. I write you this proposal in
good faith; I am 45 years old married with two lovely kids. I am a devoted
Christian and a man of peace.I have packaged a financial transaction
that will benefit you and I, as the reginal manager of a bank it is my duty
to send in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at
the end of each financial year. On the course of the last year 2005 business
report, I discovered that my branch in which I am the manager made fifteen
million eight hundred and fifty thousand united state dollars
($15,850,000.00) which my head office is not aware of and will never be
aware of. I have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account with
no beneficiary.

As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money,so
my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank
account and get 25% of the total funds as c- ommission. There are
practically no risks involved, the transaction will be executed under
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law, it will be
simply bank to bank transfer,and all I need from you is to stand claim as
the original depositor of these fund, with my branch so that my head office
can order the transfer to your designated bank account in afew working days.

If you accept my propsal Iwill appreciate it very much as you are the first
and the only person I am contacting for this transaction. you can rich me on
this phone number ( + 233-243-561-488) call me or send me a mail as soon as
you receive this message.so that we can go over to the details.

Thanking you in anticipation

May God bless you and your family.

Yours truly

Mr.MUHAMMED ALI,

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam