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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:
  • "mariam abacha" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "sani abacha" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "mariam abacha" <firstlady1998@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: firstlady93-98@freeuk.com
Date: Wed, 05 Oct 2005 08:14:21 -0700
Subject: FROM MRS.MARIAM...

Dear Sir,

CONFIDENTIAL,PLS.

I am Mrs.Mariam Abacha,widow to the former Military Head of State of Federal
Republic of Nigeria,General Sani Abacha who died suddenly as a result of
Cardiac Arrest on 8th June,1998.Upon his tragic and unexpected death,the new
civillian government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has insisted and succeeded
in probing my family's financial resources and has gazetted all our
properties also.

Recently,yet another US$290M was discovered in his swiss account.The world
Bank team in conjuction with President Olusegun Obasanjo is making a
positive arrangement to repartriate the money back to Nigeria and further
investigate if they could be more successful in discovering more
It is this US$38M which my late husband deposited with a security company
vault in Europe that they cannot trace because the funds were carefully and
neatly pachaged in a silver box and deposited as diplomatic immunities.

Therefore,the family is in urgent need of a very competent and investor
participant that we can enthrust with the Certificate of Deposit and
Personal Identification Number (PIN) code to help us remove the funds from
the security company in London.It wanted to keep the funds with them untill
I am able to travel to Europe but three weeks back,the British Storage
Commission wrote to me that the consignment is due for clearance as they
want to decongest the vault.This motivated me to write you.

If this proposal is acceptable to you,after getting the money out from the
security company to your country,my family have agreed to offer you 20% for
your kind assistance and 80% will be for my family.I will introduce you to
our attorney who will change all documents to your names.
In addition,you will help us in banking our share as well as assisting in
investing it wisely in a viable business but with our full consent and
approval as a front for us untill the situation becomes more favourable for
us to meet and discuss the way forward,most especially now that my elder son
and I are under pressure from the government.

Please let me hear from you at earliest so that we exchange contacts and
build up relationships.

With due respect,

Mrs.Mariam Abacha.



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam