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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:
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "transferred into your bank account" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22993704701 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "steve Adams" <peteradams05@msn.com>
Reply-To: s_teveadams@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 13:07:15 +0000
Subject: business relationship

Dear friend
My name is Steve Adams, I am a banker and I work with Standard Trust Bank in
Benin as an assistant auditor in the account section, I have some documents
and
information covering US$10 Million which belong to an Eng. Thomas Greek. He
is a
citizen of the United state of American and he was an oil merchant based
here in
Benin.

This client's has an account with our bank but during the course of our
auditing
we discoverd that this account has remain dormant for past 2 years and and
after
going through some old files in the records I discovered that the owner of
the
account is dead. Being that I have poor salary here in our bank, I have to
decide to do a deal with you. Before I proceed,I want you to assure me that
you
will keep every imformation I release to you intact due to my position in
the
bank as I do not want to loose my job until this deal is successful. I will
like this client's money to be transferred into your bank account and I
assure
you that there is no risk involve because any information I am about to
release
to you will help you perfectly in claiming of this money from our bank
without
any doubt. Therefore I want you to confirm your readiness to complete this
deal
with me. Note, you are free to make any enquiry about this client and his
account in our bank but do not let our bank authorities know I gave you this
information's otherwise I will loose my job.
Here is our bank website:www.standardtrustbank.be, through this website you
can
get every information that will lead you to the contact of our bank.

Please I need your attention urgently in this transaction, send me your
contact
address and your direct telephone number to facilitate our communications.
for more details you can call me on +229-93704701.
Thanks
Steve

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam