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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "my direct line" (a "direct line" in a scam usually means an untraceable mobile phone number used by a scammer in an internet cafe, a redirection service number that forwards to a mobile or a free voicemailbox in a different country.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • +2348057361243 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: =?utf-8?q?william=20marrow?= <williammarrow50@yahoo.com.co>
Reply-To: wmarrow72@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:07:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: MY COMPLIMENTS


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:williammarrow50@yahoo.com.co



- Please I wish you could read this letter very carefully and I must apologize for transmitting this message to your mail box through this medium without any formal introduction due to the urgency and confidential nature of the issue involved.I also know that this message will come to you as a surprise but Please bear with me.What this message bears across to you is not a joke nor fluke and I will not want you to treat it as such.I am Mr.William Marrow a Manager in an international Bank which details will be made known to you in course of our interactions as it is purely a confidential matter.And at last,I believe that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that I am about to repose in you for the mutual benefit of you and I.I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of ($10) millions USD into your account within 7working banking days. This money has been dormant for years in our Bank without claim because the owner of this fund died along with his entire family and supposed next of kin in an air crash since July 31st 2000. Please go through the website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm)I want our bank to release this funds to you as the nearest person to our deceased customer while i come over to your country to share this fund with you as soon as you confirm this fund into your account and ask me to come over. I don't want the money to go into our Bank treasure as an abandoned fund. So this is the reason why I contacted you so that our bank will release this money to you as the next of kin to the deceased customer.Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not interested. Upon the receipt of your reply and indication of your capability, i will give you full details on how the business will be executed and also note that you will have 35% of the above mentioned sum if you agree to handle this with me while 65% will be for me and others involved.Because I would not also want anyone here in our bank to know my involvement until you confirm this fund into your account and ask me to come over for the sharing as i indicated earlier.Here is my direct line +234-805-736-1243. Am looking forward to hearing from you,Thanks with my best regards,Mr.WIlliam Marrow.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam