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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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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • bell_geoffrey@ny.com
  • bell_geoffrey@ny.com

Fraud email example:

From: "bell geoffrey" <gbel332290@msn.com>
Reply-To: bell_geoffrey@ny.com
Date: Wed, 05 Oct 2005 09:15:35 +0000
Subject: Dear Friend

From: Geoffrey Bell

Private Email: bell_geoffrey@ny.com

Subject: Inheritance Fund
Date: October 5th, 2005.

Dear Friend,

I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary to your moral ethics, but
please treat it with absolute secrecy and personal courtesy. I am Geoffrey
Bell an Auditor of a commercial Bank here in
the United Kingdom, in the process of auditing our bank accounts I and one
of my colleagues discovered that there is a dormant account valued at the
sum £18,700,000.00 (eighteen million seven hundred thousand British Pounds)
and after due verification of this account we discovered that the account
owner is late and that is why the account has been dormant and as such a
£18,700,000.00 has been lying in the bank unclaimed.

The idea of presenting somebody who is not related to our deceased customer
to act as his next of kin came into our mind, that is how and why we have
contacted you to present you as his next of kin, so that the £18,700,000.00
will be paid to you and we can both disburse the fund according to the
percentage we will agree on. In view of this, I am seeking for your
co-operation and understanding to stand as the next of kin to our deceased
customer, to enable us claim the fund from my bank. Hence, if this proposal
is OK by you and you do not wish to take undue advantage of my trust, then I
hope to bestow on you.

Please kindly get back to me immediately, strictly via my private email
address only: bell_geoffrey@ny.com to enable me enlightens you on how we
are to proceed. On getting your response, we shall agree on the percentage
of disbursing the £18,700,000.00 between us, as we intend to invest part of
our own share in real estate business in your country, and we would
appreciate if you can put us in the right part investing in your Country. I
will not contact any person or company until I hear from you, so as to
enable me decides on what to do next. Be rest assured that this business is
100% risk free.

We wait for your prompt response.

Regards,
Geoffrey Bell


NB: PLEASE NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE NOT RELATED TO MY
LATE CUSTOMER; THE FUND WILL STILL BE PAID TO YOU, SINCE WE ARE PRESENTING
YOU AS HIS NEXT OF KIN.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam