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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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:

• 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:
  • "from: the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • +2348036404627 (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.
  • mr_ubajames02@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: uba james <ubajames20@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <mr_ubajames02@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:28:21 +0000
Subject: Dear Mccoll,



From: The Desk of Mr.Uba James.The Personal Acoount officerIntercontinental Bank Plc.(IBPLC)Reply to: mr_ubajames02@yahoo.comTelephone: +234-8036-404-627 Dear Mccoll, I am Mr.Uba James, accountant for foreign bill of exchange operation department of the intercontinental bank plc (IBPLC). Here in Nigeria I am writing following the impressive information about you through an internet geonological research. In my department, we discovered along term deposited fund of{$5.5M}five Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars in an account which belongs to a foriegn customer Late Engr. George Mccoll, who died alongside with his nuclear family in a plane crash on December 26th 2003 in a neighbouring country, named Republic of Benin in the city of Cotonou. The management have been expecting his next of kin to come over for his or her claim as the huge fund can not be release unless somebody applies for it legally as the beneficiary/next of kin to the deceased/fund as indicated in our banking guideline.Unfurtunately all efforts to locate the next of kin to the deceased by the bank management proved abortive.Now as the personal accountant to the deceased, after much official enquiry/verification through the deposit files of the deceased, I was able to realise that his supposed next of kin died along side with him in the plane crash on December 26th 2003. I will like to present you to the bank as the bonafide next of kin to the late deceased since you bear the same last name with the deceased so that this fund can be transfered to your bank account as the bonafide beneficiary to the fund. The banking law and guideline act 00.02 of the foreign beneficiary fund release stipulates that if such fund remain uncliamed after the exsisting period of four years, as the fund shall be automatically transfered into the national treasury account as uncliamed bill. As the personal accountant to the deceased, I therefore decide to make business with you by releasing the fund {$5.5 Million Pounds} to you as the next of kin to the deceased for safe keeping of the fund/subsequent disbursement as I do not want the fund to be transfered into the national treasury as unclaimed fund. Note :This transaction is 100% risk free as I have all required information/documents which shall aid the total accomplishment of this fund repatriation into your personal account as the beneficiary to the deceased. Upon the confirmation of your positive response, I shall send to you by fax/mail the commencement step, full information of the bank and that of the deceased for instant inception of this transaction,I will prefer if you contact me on my private email account: mr_ubajames02@yahoo.com Best regardsMr.Uba JamesPersonal Account OfficerIntercontinental Bank Plc (IBPLC).
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam