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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "money laundering" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "million 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)
  • "nuhu ribadu" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • +2348087517466 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Economic Financial Crimes Commission EFCC <alhajinuhu_03@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <alhaji.nuhu@yahoo.fr>
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:13:57 +0100
Subject: HELP US TO STOP CRIME/FRAUD



From Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman,Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)15 Awins Road, Ikoyi, Lagos,Tel: 234-8087517466

HELP US TO STOP CRIME/FRAUD
Attention: First we introduce this commission; economic & financial crimes commission (EFCC) we fight cyber crime fraud scam money laundering in Africa. Our commission has been in existences since 2004.Our duties are to stop internet fraud scam. As for today we have put a lot of people fraudsters behind bars a lot of them are in jail we go all over Africa to pick these thieves. we have over 687 of them in our jails round Africa and we are still looking for more, we are aware that a lot of foreigners out there have been deceived tricked and lost a lot of money. to this fraud steers after promising you percentages in their letters for you to help them move funds at the end of the day they will collect thousands of dollars from you making you a poor person. All the African crime fighters elders has come together to inform the world what is going on now and we have recover over $322 million dollars(three hundred and twenty two million dollars) from the people we have behind bars. The only reason we are writing you this letter, is because your name was given to us by one of the fraud stars in our jail house, that he collected money from you by tricks. Our action now is to refund back money to foreigners who lost money to these thieves. We are paying back from the money we recovered. We can only refund you if your name is mentioned and you show us prove of how much you lost. If this letter gets to you then you are mentioned. But if its gets to you by mistake and you have not lost any money then please disregard it. If you know any person family or friend that has lost money to fraud stars please tell him/her to write to this commission with proves and we will handle his/her case then pay back after verification. we are aware this fraud stars has broken a lot of home, made a lot of people to lose their job, sell their properties, closed their business, put many on the street, made a lot to even lose their life. please you are to reach us in our email address above for further clarifications on how you are to receive your lost funds you are to forward your full particulars and recent telephone and fax numbers to our email address above on if you are a victim. We are aware that most of them use fake identity and in most cases uses unaddressed cell phone as their contact number but with their email address and cooperation from you, we assure you that within a short period of time they will be monitored and arrested using our email tracking device.those crooks has impersonated with many names in the government to upgrade this ugly act. we will clarify you so that you will understand very well since many of you are confused of the truth. Help fight crime to make this earth a better place to live in. For further information contact:Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman,Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam