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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
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "please endeavor to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "necessary legal documents" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "to your nominated bank account" (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 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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "chambers" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: umehgab1@freenet.de
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:23:56 +0200
Subject: REPLY ASAP.


C.OGBODO & UMEHS CHAMBERS.
NO 59 CALCUTACRESCENT
LAGOS-NIGERIA.
E-MAIL
(EMAILBOZ@PERU.COM)
DEAR SIR/MADAM,
I AM BARRISTER GABRIEL UMEH, A
SOLICITOR AND AN ADVOCATEOF THE SUPREME
COURT OF NIGERIA, I AM THE
PERSONAL ATTORNEY TO ENGR.STEVE MOORE, A
CONSULTANT WITH AN OIL COMPANY
HERE IN NIGERIA. ON THE18TH OF FEBRUARY
2004,MY CLIENT AND HIS WIFE
WERE INVOLVED IN ANAUTOCRASH ACCIDENT
ALONG PORTHARCOUT/UYO EXPRESS
ROAD. UNFORTUNATELY THEYLOST THEIR LIVES
IN THE EVENT OF THE ACCIDENT,
SINCE THEN I HAVE MADESEVERAL CONTACTS
AS TO LOCATE ANY OF HIS EXTENDED
RELATIVES, BUT ALLPROVED ABORTIVE.
HENCE I DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU.
I AM
CONTACTING YOU TO ASSIST IN RETRIEVING THE MONEYVALUED AT ABOUT

(US$18.5M) THAT WAS LEFT BEHIND BY MY CLIENT WITH THESPRING BANK OF

NIGERIA PLC, BEFORE IT GETS CONFISCATED OR DECLAREDUNSERVICEABLE BY

THE BANK. CONSEQENTLY, THE BANK ISSUED ME A NOTICE TOPROVIDE THE NEXT

OF KIN OR HAVE THE ACCOUNT CONFISCATED WITHIN THE NEXTTEN OFFICIAL

WORKING DAYS.SINCE I HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESFULL IN LOCATINGTHE RELATIVES

FOR OVER 3 YEARS NOW, I HEREBY SEEK YOUR CONSENT TO ACTAS THE NEXT OF

KIN TO THE DECEASED, THE PROCEEDS OF THIS ACCOUNT VALUEDAT (US$18.5

MILLION DOLLARS) CAN BE PAID TO YOU AND THEN YOU AND ICAN SHARE THE

MONEY.I HAVE ALL THE NECESSARY LEGAL DOCUMENTS THAT CANBE USED TO BACK

UP THIS PROJECT.
MY SUGGESTION TO YOU IS THAT, I WILL LIKE YOU AS
AFOREIGNER TO STAND
AS THE NEXT OF KIN/BENEFICIARY TO THEFUND DEPOSITED
BY MY LATE CLIENT
SINCE YOUR ARE AFOREIGNER, SO THAT THE PROCEEDS VALUED
AT US$18.5
MILLIONDOLLARS WILL BE PAID TO YOU. PLEASE ENDEAVOR TO
OBSERVEUTMOST
SECRET IN ALL MATTERS CONCERNING THIS ISSUE. ONCE
THEFUNDS HAVE BEEN
TRANSFERRED TO YOUR NOMINATED BANK ACCOUNT, WHICH
YOUWILL SEND TO THE
BANK, WE SHALL SHARE IN THE RATIO OF 50% FOR YOU,
AND50% FOR ME. I
HAVE WORKED OUT A PROCEDURE THAT WILL ENSURE
SUCCESS,AND AS A LAWYER,
I WILL ENSURE THAT ALL OUR ACTIONS ARE WITHIN
THECONFINES OF THE LAW.
ONCE IN ACCEPTANCE TO THIS PROPOSAL, KINDLY
FORWARD TOME THESE
FOLLOWING: VIA E-MAIL: EMAILBOZ@PERU.COM
1) YOUR
FULL NAME AND ADDRESS
2) YOUR OCCUPATION ANDAGE.
3) YOUR PRIVATE/DIRECT
TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBER FOREASY COMMUNICATION.
BARR. GABRIEL UMEH.
VERY
URGENT.

Unbegrenzter Speicher, Top-Spamschutz, 120 SMS und eigene
E-MailDomain
inkl.
http://office.freenet.de/dienste/emailoffice/produktuebersicht/power/mail/index.html

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam