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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: "CHRIS BATE" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <chrisbate1@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2011 06:09:45 -0500
Subject: RE: INVESTMENT PROPOSAL.

From: Chris Bate
Subject: Re: Investment Proposal.
Date: Saturday, July 1, 2011.
 
 
My name is Chris Bate, I work for a brokerage firm in London , I have been mandated by my colleagues in the office to look for a reliable person we can trust in handling funds accumulated from dividend of STOCKS valued at £5,586,000.00 (Five Million Five Hundred Eighty Six Thousand British Pound Sterling Only.)
 
On that note I have decided to contact you, my colleagues and I intend to invest in any lucrative business in your country with the proceeds from the transaction once we have concluded the transaction with you.
 
Please find below an over view of the transaction regarding on how we intend to raise the fund for the investment we intend to invest in your country.
 
Ten years ago, our firm assisted a foreigner to purchase stocks worth millions of Pound sterling, later the foreigner left London but the dividends of the stock we bought for him have been coming in unclaimed by the foreigner whom we later discovered is deceased since he had left London 5 years ago.
 
The dividends have accumulated to the tune of GBP5,586,000.00(Five Million Five hundred and eighty six thousand British pound sterling only.) which is about $9,087,304.80.00 USD(NINE MILLION EIGHTY SEVEN THOUSAND ,THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR DOLLARS EIGHTY CENTS.)
 
My colleagues and I have decided to claim the money and wish to use you to receive the money into your account, and investour own share of the funds in any lucrative business in your country.
 
I want to assure you that the transaction is 100% hitch free, my colleagues and I have done our home work very well before we decided to contact you.
 
My colleagues and I have agreed to offer you 35% of the whole fund for your services that you are going to render to us, since you are also going to play a role in assisting in transferring the fund from Londonto your country,and my colleagues and I will keep 65% of the whole fund for our own investmentin your country.
 
Please note your roles are as follows.
 
1. You will provide a bank account where the fund will be transferredto; in your country.
 
2. You will advise us on good areas of investment in your country where we can invest our own 65% of the fund, and you will also manage the investment on our behalf for a certain period of years , not less than 5 years.-We prefer to invest in property business.
 
 
I hope you understand the whole transaction, please feel free to ask me question, we hope to have a lasting business relationship with you.
 
 
I wait to hear from you so that we can commence the transaction.
 
 
Regards,
 
Chris Bate.
 

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