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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: "Senate Committee" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <interswitch.dept@sify.com>
Date: Tue, 4 May 2010 11:55:03 +0200
Subject: Good News

Office of the Senate
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Committee on Foreign Payment
(Resolution Panel on Contract payment)
Our Ref: Fgn/Snt/Stb2010
 
Attn: Beneficiary
 
This is to officially inform you that we have verified your inheritance file and found out that why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfilled the obligations given to you in respect to your Contract/Inheritance Payment/Lottery Winnings. We have currently been investigating your claim under the auspices of the Joint Regulatory Commission of the IMF, GDIC & U.S secret service. Incidentally, we have discovered during the course of the investigation that the agencies that were responsible for your claim settlement have lost credibility.
 
This is because the credit facility extended to them for the said payment has since expired 2008/2009, and as a result of that, they are unable to offset your fund. They have resorted to charging you all forms of fees and advance payments to no avail. GDIC, been the agency responsible for underwriting the guarantee for your claim has therefore, called for the retransmitted of your funds from offshore credit. Under the Joint Regulatory Commission, we have appointed a sole fiduciary member of CBN that will handle the transfer of your funds through ATM CARD Payment. This card centre will send you an ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw your money in any ATM Machine located in your designation/any part of the world, the maximum amount to withdraw is three thousand dollars per day. Contact the below card payment centre for more details.
 
Contact person: Dr.Wilfred Bruce
Email: interswitch.dept@sify.com
Tel: +2347030854962
 
Also send the below information to the above address to enable them start processing your ATM CARD.
 
1. Your full name
2. Phone number & fax
3. Address where you want them to send the ATM CARD
4. Your Age & Current Occupation
5. Attach copy of your Identification.
 
 
This ATM CARD payment centre has been mandated to issue out USD7, 000,000.00 as part payment for your Contract/Inheritance/Lottery Winnings for this fiscal year 2010. Also for your information, you have to stop any further communication with any other person (s) / office (s) to avoid any hitches in receiving your payment. For oral discussion, call or email back as soon as you receive this important message for further direction and also update me with the developments from the above mentioned office.
 
Note that because of impostors, we hereby issued you our code of conduct which is (ATM-001) so you have to indicate this code when contacting the card centre by using it as your subject.
 
 
Thanks.
 
Mrs Linda Abbey
Sec. to the Senate Resolution Committee
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
 
 

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