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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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Fraud email example:

From: victor brown <victor_brown@brittonsign.com>
Reply-To: victorbrown@catpost.co.uk
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 04:21:52 -0600
Subject: I NEED YOUR ATTENTION ON THIS

From the Desk of: The Chairman
Contract Award and Implementation Committee
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
RE: TRANSFER OF US$28.6M

I am Dr Victor Brown, Chairman Contract Award and Implementation Committee in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). My duty includes awards of contracts, vetting same and making payments on behalf of my corporation (NNPC) alongside the Chief Accountants and Directors of Audit.
SUBJECT: After due consideration, we have fully agreed to privately invest extensively in your country. I am intending to resign from Government services to private business with some other officials of my Ministry as partners. I got your esteemed particulars through a private search on the internet. So I decided to write you for an urgent business proposal. I have specifically been mandated to arrange with you for terms of trade and possible transfer of the funds needed for the investment into your company's account or personal account.

This funds were incurred from an over invoiced contract awarded to an American firm in USA during the regime of Late Gen. Sani Abacha. The original value of these contracts were purposely over estimated by us the Tenders Board Committee to the tune of US$28.6M(TwentyEight million, Six hundred thousand Dollars only). Now that the firm have received their payment fully, we want to transfer the over invoiced sum to your company's account and privately invest in any profitable form of business. The US$28.6M has since been approved forpayment/remittance among other payments that have been made. This money is now floating in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a redundant fund waiting to be claimed. Becasuse of our new Federal Government Decree on Civil Servants, we officials are not allowed to  own a company or operate a foreign account. Therefore, I solicit your help to remit this funds into your company's account pending when we come over for the sharing.
To enable! us process and remit this fund into your bank account successfully within 10 banking days from the day of your response, we need the following information from you by a return mail,
Beneficiary's name.
Yourt telephone  and fax number.
Your bank particulars including your bank's name, address,Tel, Fax,
Telex numbers.
Note that as soon as we receive this information, it will be forwarded to the appropriate quarters for final processing and approvals. With this modality, it makes it possible for your company to act as a subsidiary of the original firm; and when satisfied by the agencies, your bank account will be credited via Telegraphic Transfer by the Telegraphic Transfer Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria within 48 hours through  the standard chartered bank of new york (CBN correspondent bank).
This transfer is 100% risk-free having done all the underground works locally for the smooth transfer of the fund into your bank account wit! hin the shortest period. I advice that you should keep this business a top secret and rest all correspondences to Email and phone only because I am occupying a sensitive position in the government circle and also this is once in a life time opportunity.
Finally, I want you to assure me that you will work on my instructions and that our own share of the money will be safe. We have jointly agreed to reward you with 35% of the total sum for your honest assistance and co-operation while 65% will be for my colleagues and I.
Indicate your interest urgently .
Best regards,
Dr Victor Brown

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