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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:
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • +2348023297699 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • gbwilliams_99999@yahoo.com.hk

Fraud email example:

From: =?big5?q?Charls=20Ego?= <bwilliams_99999@yahoo.com.hk>
Reply-To: brianwilliams_9999@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 03:10:42 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Hello


§Ú¦³·sªº¹q¶l¦a§}¡I§A²{¥i¹q¶lµ¹§Ú¡Gbwilliams_99999@yahoo.com.hk

Dear Friend,


My name is Charles Ego, manager of bills/exchange at the foreign remittance department of G.T.B Bank




I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of my bank (DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY, of America) who perished along with his wife, son and daughter in Kenya Plane Crash, East Africa, on a festive visit from Los Angeles. With other passengers aboard as you can confirm it yourself through this web site (http://www.wral.com/news/2345844/detail.html)




Since the demise of DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY, 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 USD14.7m,(Fourteen Million, Seven Hundred Thousand United State Dollars only ) 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 four years, because after four 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 Burkina be cannot stand as the next of kin to a foreigner.




I agreed that 30% of this money would 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 willingness to assist, 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.




Best Regards,




Mr. Charles Ego.


+234-8023-297699





- Charls Ego

- Charls Ego

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam