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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "million us 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)
  • "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a orphan scam.
• 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.
  • homejohn87@yahoo.com.br (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: =?iso-8859-1?q?John=20Barnes?= <homejohn87@yahoo.com.br>
Reply-To: johnbarnesgh4@yahoo.com.mx
Date: Thu, 25 May 2006 21:02:58 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Hope to hear from you soon.


Meu novo endereço de e-mailAgora você pode me contactar através do e-mail: homejohn87@yahoo.com.br

Attention.



Dear sir,



First and foremost, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction and I pray that my decision to contact you will be given genuine approval considering the facts we have not known each other before, I wish to use this opportunity to introduce my self to you.



I am Mr. John Barnes, from Liberia, West Africa. I am the first son of late Mr. Moses Barnes; he was a diamond/gold merchant in our country. my late father had a bullet shot by the rebels on his way traveling out of my country with two of my kid sister's due to present crisis that is occurring in my country (Liberia).my sister's died on the spot while United Nation peace keeping force secured my late father, he was taken to hospital for medical treatment which he later died.



Before his died he revealed to me and my mother about the boxes containing $16.5 million us dollars. Which he deposited with a security company in Ghana for safe keeping. My late father did not disclose the content of the box to the security company, he also told the security company that the safe belongs to his friend who is a foreigner but didn't mention any name. to avoid the officials from raising eye brows to the funds.



And my late father also told me that it is dangerous to invest this money in Africa to avoid suspicions, and due to market instability, coupled with economic and political instability facing African countries, that is why we want to invest in abroad.

For your mutual assistance. presently myself and my mother are here in Accra Ghana ,and we are staying in the refugee camp, I and my mother have agreed to offer you 20% of the total amount of the money, all the vital documents covering the deposit and the ownership is here with my mother which I can send to you through fax on request.

Therefore I want you to help me and claim the box from the security company, and invest it in a very good business. Note: I have never disclosed this to any person apart from you, so you have to keep this transaction as a top secret to yourself alone.



Which I will want you to forward across to me your direct personal cell phone and fax number for more information about this transaction.



I look forward to your earliest reply.



Thanks and God bless you.

Best regards,

John Barnes

- John Barnes

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam