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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• 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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "lome togo" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • mrpeterobiaha@yahoo.se (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "peter obiaha" <peterobiaha2@fastwebmail.it>
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 13:52:53 +0000
Subject: URGENT REPLY PLASE


*Dear Friend. *
**
*My name is Mr. Peter Obiaha, an audit officer in Financial Bank LOME TOGO.
*
**
*I am writing to you following an opportunity in my office that will be of
immense benefit to both of us. *
**
*In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of $9.5 Million Dollars
(Nine Million Five Hundred thousand Dollars) in an account that belong to
one of our foreign customer Late Mr.Frederick M. Wong, an American who
unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Egyptian flight 990 which
crashed on 31st October 1999, including his wife and only daughter. You can
read more about the crash by visiting this site which I got during my
investigation, please try to go through the site. *
**
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm
*** **
*Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next
of kin or relatives to come over and claim his money because we cannot
release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the
deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines. *
**
*Unfortunately I learnt that his supposed next of kin being his only adopted
daughter died along with him in the plane crash leaving nobody with the
knowledge of this fund behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this
discovery that I and two other officials in this department now decided to
make business with you and release the money to you as the next of kin or
beneficiary of the funds for safe keeping and subsequent disbursement since
nobody is coming for it. *

*We don't want this money to go back into Government treasury as unclaimed
bill. The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money
remains unclaimed after Eight years the money will be transferred into
banking treasury as unclaimed funds. *
**
*We agreed that 40% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, while
the balance will be for my colleagues and me. I will visit your country for
the disbursement according to the percentages indicated above once this
money gets into your hands and please be honest with me. *
**
*Note this transaction is confidential and risk free. As soon as you receive
this message, you should contact me immediately and please note that all
necessary arrangement for smooth release of these funds to you has been
finalized. We will discuss much in details when I do receive your response.
*

*Thanks and waiting for your urgent reply via my private email address :
mrpeterobiaha@yahoo.se<http://us.f569.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=mrpeterobiaha@yahoo.se>
*
*
* *Regards,*
*Mr Peter Obiaha.*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam