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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: "Maj Avril Mamza" <avril_mamza@maktoob.com> (may be fake)
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:42:23 +0400
Subject: Swift Response!

DEAR FRIEND,

GOODAY TO YOU, MY NAME IS MAJ. AVRIL MAMZA, I AM A CITIZEN OF ANGOLA, AM 33 YEARS OLD, AND A VERY GOOD FRIEND TO ONE OF THE SON'S OF PRESIDENT OF HOUSE OF REPRESANTATIVES OF REPUBLIC OF ANGOLA .
MY FRIEND REMOVED THE SUM OF $3.7M FROM THE MONEY HIS FATHER PACKAGED TO SEND ABROAD FOR UNDISCLOSED USE, SO HE CALLED ME AND ASKED ME TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY WITH THE MONEY IMMEDIATELY.
THAT IS THE REASON WHY I AM IN DUBAI NOW , BUT THE ONLY DIFFICULTY I AM FACING IS THAT I DON'T KNOW ANY BODY IN DUBAI WHO CAN ASSIST US INVEST IN THE MONEY IN A VERY GOOD AND PROFITABLE BUSINESS.FOR THIS REASON, I AM SOLICITING FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THIS VENTURE.AS SOON AS WE FINISHED EVERYTHING, I AND MY FRIEND HAS AGREED TO OFFER TO YOU A VERY REASONABLE PERCENTAGE, AFTER YOUR KIND HELP.
PLEASE DO RESPOND TO MY EMAIL WITH YOUR DUE INTEREST AND AS WELL AS YOUR ADVISE.
REPLY TO ALTERNATIVE EMAIL: avril_mamza@codehot.co.uk

REGARDS,
MAJ. AVRIL MAMZA.



Anti-fraud resources: