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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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.
  • mcjohn_smith@yahoo.com
  • mcjohn_smith@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: "M C John Smith" <mcjohnsmith@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: mcjohn_smith@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:27:08 -0400
Subject: pravite verture that storm my heart

From: john smith
Private Email: mcjohn_smith@yahoo.com
Subject: pravite verture that storm my heart
Date: october 15 , 2005.

Dear tina alberts,
I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary to
your moral
ethics, but please treat it with absolute secrecy and
personal
courtesy.
I am john smith an Auditor of a commercial Bank here
in the United
Kingdom, in the the process of auditing our bank
accounts I and one
of my colleagues discovered that there is a dormant
account valued
at the sum 100.000 dollars) 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
100.000 dollars 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
100.000 dollars 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: mcjohn_smith@yahoo.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 100.000
dollars 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.
Please be rest
assured that this business is 100% risk free. We wait
for your
prompt response.
Regards,
john smith

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