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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Ms. Sri Zulkarnain" <s380hrm950z@gmail.com>
Reply-To: "Ms. Sri Zulkarnain" <s725936814z@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:19:38 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Willing to hear from you.


 Hi,
I have been in search for someone bearing this name in your country and when i saw your name i was very happy to contact you and see how best we can assist each other. I am working with a security company here in Ipoh, Perak of Malaysia as the manager of ware house department. I believe it is destiny for me to come across your name, i have this business i wish to share with you and i believe it will interest you, because it is in connection with your name and you are going to benefit from it.
A citizen of your country deposited a consignment of Two Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars ($2,750,000:00) with the company i am working with in 2011 for 36 calendar months, and the due date for this deposit contract was this 17th of January 2014. Sadly he was among the dead victims in the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. He was in Japan on a business trip and that was how he met his end. The company boss is yet to know about his death, i knew about it because he was my friend and i was the officer in charge of his consignment at the time he deposited the consignment and he did not mention any next of kin / heir when the deposit was made, was not married and no children. Last week the company boss requested that i should give instructions on what to do about his consignment, if to renew the contract or not.
I knew this will happen and that is why i started looking for a means to handle the situation, because if the company boss happens to know that he is dead and do not have any heir, he will take the consignment for himself, so i do not want this to happen. That was why when i saw your name i was happy and i am now seeking your co-operation to present you as beneficiary to the consignment, since you have the same name with him and with that the company head quarter will deliver the consignment to you. It is better that we claim this consignment, than allowing the company boss to take it, he is rich already. I am not a greedy person, so i am suggesting we share the money equally, which is 50%/50% for both of us, my share will assist me in starting my own company which i have been dreaming about for a long time now. Willing to hear from you.
Best regards,   Sri.

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