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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: "mohammad hossein" <mohammad_hossein78@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 08:52:18 +0000
Subject: VERY URGENT

FROM THE DESK OF DR.MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGEMENT
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT.
THE AFRICAN BANK (T A B)
OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA FASO ,
Dear,
I am the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department
of The African Bank. I am writing, following the impressive information
about you through one of my friends who runs a consultancy firm in your
country. He assured me of your capability and reliability to champion this
business opportunity.
In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of U.S$20 m dollars
(twenty million USD) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign
customer who died along with his entire family in November 1999 in a plane
crash.
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless
some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as
indicated in our banking guidlines and laws, but unfortunately we learnt
that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the
plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this
discovery, I now decided to make
this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of
kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since
nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into the bank
treasury as unclaimed bill.
The banking law and guidine here stipulates that if such money remained
unclaimed after four years, the money will be tranfered into the bank as
unclaimed bill .

I therefore agree that 40% of this money will be for you as foreigner
partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10% will be
set aside for expenses incured during the business and 50% would be for me.
There after I will visit your country for disbursement according to the
percentages indicated.
Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as
arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relation or next of kin of
the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your
private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and
location where in the money will be remitted.
I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free
and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required
arrangements have been made for the transfer. You should contact me
immediately as soon as you recieve this letter.
Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Yours faithfully,
DR.MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN
Bill and Exchange Manager.

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