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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: "Mr.Ogar Aaron" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <ogaron4@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:24:50 -0800
Subject: ATTEN: OWNER OF THIS EMAIL ADDRESS. GET BACK TO ME

CRITICAL INVESTIGATION FROM THE "SPECIAL FRAUD UNIT (SFU) OF NIGERIAN
POLICE OVER A SUDDEN DEATH CLAIM.
 
Attention:  Owner of this Email  Address.
 
Please in a matter of few minutes, confirm to us the authenticity or
otherwise of the claim that the owner of the above email Address is
dead of Cardiac attack necessitating, as a Gift of $15.75Million
Inheritance to Mr.Thompson Hollace of United States backed up with a
duly executed Deed of assignment in his favor.
 
Though the transfer was done in the morning today, but on security
information, we intercepted and stopped the transfer pending
satisfactory  clarifications on the observed security irregularities.
Our stoppage of the transfer is only for 24 hrs. If there is no
response as demanded from you immediately, it will be deemed
acquiescence and authenticated and certified and we therefore will
allow the transfer to flow. But if the death claim is false, quickly
send the rebuttal to us with a reconfirmation of your details as below
stated:
 
(1)Name:
(2)Address:
(3)Telephone numbers :
 
As soon as you have sent that to us by email, then give me a brief
call to confirm receipt of the mail or otherwise.
 
Yours Faithfully,
Mr.Ogar Aaron
Deputy-Commissioner of Police, In Charge of,
Special Fraud Unit, SFU, Lagos.
13, Millerton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos,  Nigeria.
Phone: 234- 808-336-4057

Anti-fraud resources: