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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:
  • "trunk box" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • infoas_com@yahoo.fr

Fraud email example:

From: "Madam Lautmann" <murray_com2@yahoo.fr> (may be fake)
Reply-To: infoaa_com@yahoo.fr
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 14:35:32 +0000
Subject: From Madam Lautmann

My Dear in the Lord,

My name is Mrs Marie Lautmann A citizen of Gambia,i am married with Mr. Fabien Lautmann who worked with the former President of Liberia Mr. Charles Taylor, he was one of the special advisers of president Charles Taylor, my husband was assassinated during the civil war in Liberia.
I inherited a total sum of 16 million United states dollars from my late husband, this money which is in a trunk box was deposited with a security and finance company in (Abidjan- Cote d'Ivoire)a west african country.and the deposit was coded under a secret arrangement as a family treasure by my ltae husband. This means that the security company does not know the content of this trunk box that was sent from Liberia to Abidjan- Cote d'Ivoire under a diplomatic coverage for safe keeping.

My main purpose of sending you this mail is because of the political crisis that is going on in Abidjan- Cote d'Ivoire which i am very afraid that anything might happen in that country and that is way I need a trustworthy person to give this priority of shipping the consignment to any address that you think is very secure and save in your country for onward investment of the fund since my present situation is very bad for me to handle this transaction all alone due to my hart sickness,which i am even hospitalize while writing this mail to you.There is need for urgent action because I'm paying $50 dollars per day as a demurrage to the security company for safe keeping of the consignment. I will send you the Authorization infomations to call them in my next mail which is the deposit infomations that they gave my late husband on the very day when the box of was deposited in thier company.
Finally,i have decided to give to you 20% of the total sum for your assistance.I give you thanks and all my resepct as i look forward to read from you urgently.Please get back to me with this my yahoo email id for some security reasons(infoas_com@yahoo.fr)
Many thanks and God bless,

Sincerely,
Mrs Marie Lautmann.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam