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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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  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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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.
  • petera@box.az
  • petera@box.az

Fraud email example:

From: "ma ab" <ma232002@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:36:31 +0000
Subject: reply soon pls!!!

FROM THE DESK OF MR PETER JOB
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A)
BENIN PORTONOVOL. Branch.
PLS: REPLY TO petera@box.az

Dear Friend,

I feel quite safe dealing with you in this business proposition having gone
through your remarkable profile on the Internet. Though, this medium
(Internet) has been greatly abused, I choose to reach you through it because
it still remains the fastest, surest and most secured medium of
communication. However, this correspondence is purely Private, and it should
be treated as such.I am the AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING MANAGER BANK OF AFRICA
(B.O.A) here in Benin Portonovo. Branch. In my department we discovered an
abandoned sum of US$6.5m dollars (Six Million Five Hundred Thousand
Dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR.
ANDREAS SCHRANNER from Munich, Germany) who died along with his entire
family in Jully 2000 in a plane crash. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THIS SITE
BELOW;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm Since we got information
about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and
claim his money because we cannot release it unless some body applies for
it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking
guidlings and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next
of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody
behind for the claim.It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided
to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the
next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent
disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to
go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidline here stipulates that if such money remained
unclaimed after six years, the money will be transfered into the bank
treasury as unclaimed fund.nobody applies to claim the fund .Consequently,
my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of
kin to MR. ANDREAS SCHRANNER so that the fruit of this old man's labor will
not get into the hands of some corrupt Government officials. This is simple,
The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occassioned by
the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Benin cannot stand as next
of kin to a foreigner.I agree that 30% of this money will be for you as a
respect to the provision of a foriegn account ,10% should be for expenses,
tax as your government may require. and 60% would be for me Thereafter, I
will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage
indicated Therefore,to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you
arranged,you must apply first to the bank as relation or next of kin of the
deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private
telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location
where in the money will be remitted.Upon receipt of your reply, I will send
to you by fax or email the text of the application . I will not fail to
bring to your notice this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not
entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for
the transfer.I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law, as this
transaction is 100% risk free. You should contact me immediately as soon as
you receive this letter.Trusting to hear from you immediately. you can call
me on my telephone number:+229 95713752

Yours Faithfully,

MR PETER JOB. (B.O.A)
TREAT AS URGENT AND CONFIDENCIAL
PLS: REPLY TO petera@box.az

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam