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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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:
  • "million united states dollars" (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 next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "williams jude" <williamsjude23@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: williamsjude23@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Sat, 03 Dec 2005 21:09:33 +0100
Subject: I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of my bank

Dear friend,

My name is Williams Jude, personal assistant to director international
remittance department union bank of Nigeria plc. I am writing in respect of
a foreign customer of my bank (Ms. Jean Dorothy Allen, of America) who
perished in the plane crash of 31 October 1999 [with Egyptian airline 990]
with other passengers aboard as you can confirm it yourself through this web
site.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm

http://www.cnn.com/us/9911/01/egyptair.03/

since the demise of ms. Jean Dorothy Allen, I personally have watched with
keen interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one
has come to claim her funds of USD30m,(thirty million united states dollars)
has been with our bank here for a very long time on this note I decided to
seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin, as no one has come
up to put claim as the next of kin to this funds and the banking ethics here
does not allow such money to stay more than six years, because after six
years the money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

In view of this I got your contact through my country's foreign trade
mission after I was convinced in my mind that your name/company could be
used as the next of kin to this claim. The request of the foreigner as a
next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was
a foreigner and a Nigerian cannot stand as the next of kin to a foreigner.

I agreed that 30% of this money will be for you as a foreign partner in
respect of providing an account while 10% will take of any expenses that
might be incurred in the process of succeeding the transfer and the rest
will be for me.Thereafter I will visit your country for disbursement as I am
almost due for retirement.

Upon the receipt of your willingenss to assits, I will send you by fax or
e-mail a draft application of claim which you will send to the bank as the
next of kin and the next step to take.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitch free and
that you should not entertain any fear as the whole required arrangement as
been perfected for the transfer.

Regards,

Williams.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam