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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a "New Partner from Paraguay" scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • +22993489366 (Benin, probably a 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.
  • a_l_e_x_email@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: office file<officefile@freenet.de>
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:39:26 +0200
Subject: CONTACT MY SECRETRAY IMMEDIATELY


Dear Friend,
I\'m happy to inform you about my success in getting the
fund transferred under the cooperation of a new partner from
paraguay.Presently i\'m in Paraguay for investment projects with my own
share of the total sum.
Meanwhile,I didn\'t forget your past efforts and
attempts to assisting me in ransferring those funds despite that it
failed us some how.
Now contact my secretary,his name is Mr Alex and
his
email address is ( a_l_e_x_email@yahoo.fr ) .and you can
also call him
with this number +229 93 48-93-66 ask
him to send you the total $1.5M
which I kept for your
compensation for all the past efforts and attempts
to
assist me in this matter.
I appreciated your efforts at that time
very much. So feel free and get intouched with my secretary Mr Alex and
instruct him where to send the amount to you.Please do let me know
immediately you receive it so that we can share the joy after all the
sufferness at that time. In the moment,I am very busy here because of
the investment projects which me and the new partner are having at
hand.
Finally, remember that I had forwarded instruction to the
secretary on your behalf to receive that money, so feel free to get in
touch with Mr Alex and he will send the amount to you without any
delay.
With best regards
Barrister Mike Uba .

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam