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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "await your urgent response" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "ben bill" <ben_bill1@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: ben_bill_2@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 05 Oct 2005 01:09:00 +0000
Subject: Urgent steff.

Mr.Ben Bill,
888 portland street,
sutton-in-ashfield,
nottinghan shire,
ng65 4we.
United Kingdom.
Dear Steff.
URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED
I am Dr.Ben Bill, The personal account officer to Mr
Mark Steff. a very rich gold merchant who owns
a multi-national company. There is an urgent issue
on ground that needs your urgent attention. Mr.
Mark Steff. died with his entire family in an auto-crash
on the 2nd of October 2001. He has a very big multi-national company
in united kindom where I served as
a personal accounting officer to him.
After his death, I observed with patience and
notice that nobody has come up as the surviving
relative or next of kin to Mr. Mark Steff.. Because this
man was good to me when he was alive, I took it upon
myself to find out why nobody has come up as his next
of kin.Initially my research revealed to me that he
has no surviving close relative.
There is a policy here in my country, which is
if nobody comes up as the relation or next of kin to
the deceased within a period of five years, the money
in the deceased account would be forfeited to the
Government with immediate effect.
I then made more findings by going to the bank
and requesting to know the names of the people Mr.
Mark Steff. declared as the next of kin. The bank
granted me my request and provided me with the list of
Mr. Mark Steff.'s next of kin. Among this list was your
name with a brief contact information about you. Since
you are the only next of kin left whose status has not
yet been confirmed, I then decided to send you these
email to let you know that you are the only next of kin
to Mr. Mark Steff. left.
The total money in his account is Ten Million
Five Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars(US$10,500,000.00). At this point, immediately
you receive these email reply back to me with your
full contact information including phone and fax
numbers so that I can forward it to the bank as the
only surviving next of kin to Mr. Mark Steff. so that
the bank can start processing the release of the funds
to you before it is too late.
I await your urgent response.
Best Regards,
Ben Bill.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam