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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:
  • "huge deposit" (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)
  • "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)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr. George Yapi" <gyapi33@ozu.es> (may be fake)
Reply-To: gyapi33@yahoo.fr
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:16:05 +0100
Subject: Hello

Attention.

My name is Dr. George Yapi, a Banker and accountant with a prime Bank here in Abidjan. I am the personal accounts manager to Engr Lake, a Nationality of your country, who used to work with an oil servicing company here in Cote Ivoire.

My client, his wife, and their three children were involved in the ill fated Kenya Airways crash in the coasts of Abidjan in January 2000 in which all passengers on board died. Since then I have made several inquiries to your embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives but has been unsuccessful. After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his last name over the internet, to see if I could locate any member of his family hence I contacted you of particular interest is this huge deposit with our bank here in, where the deceased has an account valued ($16 million US dollars).

The bank has issued a notice to provide the next of kin or the bank will declare the account unserviceable and thereby send the funds to the bank treasury.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over last 3 years now, I here seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since you have the same last names, so that the proceeds of this account valued at ($16million US dollars) will be paid to you on any bank account you will want it and thereafter you and I will have to share the fund as we will accept / agree upon as l hear from you soonest.

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under all legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. In your reply mail, I want you to give me your full names, address, date of birth, telephone and fax numbers.

If you can handle this with me, reach me now through this mail box (gyapii33@ozu.es) Thanking you for your anticipated cooperation.

Best regards.
Sincerely,
Dr. George Yapi.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam