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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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.

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: "Mr. Ralph Attah" <mr_ralphattah1@citibankplc.org> (may be fake)
Reply-To: mr_ralphattah@voila.fr
Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2005 14:02:21 +0000
Subject: Urgent Business Collaboration.

Dear Sir,
President CEO

Here is Mr. Ralph Attah, a branch manager with the Citi Bank Plc Dakar Senegal, Branch. I have urgent and very confidential business proposition for you. On June 6 2000, an American Oil Consultants / contractor with the Senegal National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Mark Wood made a numbered time (Fixed) deposited for twelve calendar months, valued at US$36,000,000.00 (thirty Six Million Dollars) in my branch. I am contacting you for the transfer of this money to your account.

Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that I will take care of every thing, and all will be well at the end of the business. I contacted you due to the urgency of this transaction.To ease your apprehension, I got your contact from the International chambers of commerce and industry-foreign trade division.Upon maturity, our bank has sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employees Senegali National Petroleum Corporation that Dr. Mark Wood died from a Plane Crash . On further investigation, I found out that he did not leave any will and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Dr. Mark did not declare any next of kin in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork. This sum of US$36,000,000.00 is still sitting in the Bank and the interest has being enrolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. No one has come forward to claim it.

According to our Law, at the expiration of 5 (five) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the ECOWAS Government if nobody applies to claim the funds. Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to Dr. Mark Wood so that the fruits of this old man's labor will not get into the hands of the Government. I will like you to provide me immediately with your full names and address so that the attorney will prepare the necessary documents and affidavits, which will put you in place as the next of kin.

We shall employ the services of an attorneys for drafting and notarization of the Will, and obtain the necessary documents and letter of probate / administration in your favor for the transfer. A bank account in any part of the world, which you provide, will then facilitate the transfer of this money to you as the beneficiary / next of kin.

The money will be paid into your account for us to share in the ratio of 60% for me and 30% for you and then the remaining 10 will be maped out for any expences done before or after the transfer. as all the paperwork for this transaction will be done by the attorney and my position as the Branch Manager guarantees the successful execution of this transaction.

If you are interested, please reply immediately via the private email address below. Upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you understand. Please observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance to invest my share in your country. Awaiting your urgent reply via this private email address for secret. mr_ralphattah@voila.fr

Thanks and regards,
Mr Ralph Attah.
Manager Citi Bank Plc Dakar Branch.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam