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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:
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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• 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.
  • helenibe48@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Helen Ibe" <helenibe44@gmail.com>
Reply-To: helenibe48@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:53:22 +0300
Subject: business deal


Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Helen Ibe by name and this is my first letter to you. About a week
ago,I received a
letter from my bank here requesting for the next-of-kin to my deceased
client who i
manage his account as an account officer. He made a fixed deposit of some
amount of money
about two years ago before his sudden death. The bank has been anticipating
his
Next-of-kin to come along for claims, but none has shown up. As it is now,
no one can put
up claims except someone referred by me. All efforts to get his family
relatives have so
far prooved abortive.

Thus I am soliciting that you allow me introduce you as his legal
next-of-kin, based on
the fact that you will not disappoint me. He was aged 46. He lived and
worked here as a
foreign expatriate before his death. Kindly let me know if you are
interested so that I
can integrate you more on the transaction. I have spoken with the bank
manager on this
matter extensively and he is waiting for your introduction to the bank
according to his
directives.

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us work together to the
success of
this deal. I guarantee you that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that
will protect you from any breach of the law. I will brief you more on the
details upon
your response. Furthermore, in your response it is necessary that you
include the
following information:

1) Official Name(s),
2) Personal Telephone number for easy and official conversation,
3) Age,
4) Postal/Contact address,
5) Sex as well as your occupation.

Please if you are interested in this transaction kindly get back to me with
this private
e-mail address: helenibe48@yahoo.com

Best Regards,
Helen Ibe

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam