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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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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)
  • "the consignment" (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 united states 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)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • private.projects@btinternet.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Shannon McCown" <smccown@BMPATL.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:44:16 -0400
Subject: I am Mr. Hermanns Karl-Wilhelm

Dear Friend.

I am Mr. Hermanns Karl-Wilhelm living in England but my nationality is
Canadian. I was the manager bills and exchange at the foreign remittance
department of a firm in Europe . The sum of $105m US dollars (One Hundred and
Five Million United States dollars) is in the firm safety deposit vault that
belongs to one of our foreign customer Mr. Andreas, who died along with his
entire family on 31st July 2000 in a ghastly plane crash in western
German city of Moenchengladbach.

See the link =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm>

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin to come over and claim his consignment because the management cannot
release it unless somebody comes as the next of kin to the deceased with the
right documents as indicated in our firm guidelines but unfortunately I learnt
that all his family died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody
behind for the claim. Since all efforts my me to reach any of his relative has
been to no avail, i decided to use the deceased surname name to check for any
email it can attract from Google search and your email popped out and after
several other trails your email still popped out so i am reaching you so you
can come forward and collect your consignment from your late relative.


The consignment was deposited in the firm since 1999 and from the firm policy
after a reasonable time frame when nobody comes for collection after the
expiring date paid on safe keeping on the consignment; the consignment can
become the property of the government/the firm. I do not want the consignment
to revert into the hands of the government or in the firm but form the way
proceedings are going it will revert into their hands, so i have decided to
reach you so you can go forward and claim what i think is rightfully yours and
since i have the documents you need to claim the consignment once you tender
the documents then you can have it easily. I have all the information of this deposit
since i had a very nice official relationship with the deceased and
I am willing to give to you all info as the next of kin and also i do hope once
you have the consignment you will act like your late relative who was a
philanthropist and a member of the Helicopter Society and the Institute of
Electronic & Electrical Engineers.

This is the third mail am sending to you and if i do not get any reply
from you then i will accept the fact that you do not want to claim the consignment or
you have not been able to check your mail but in anyways your time is running
out in claiming the consignment. I have all the information of this
deposit and i can only give them to you once we have established communication.

Please reach me through this email address:
private.projects@btinternet.com <http://us.mc515.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=private.projects@btinternet.com> for
further corresponding on your consignment.

Have a blessed day,
Karl Hermanns.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam