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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:
  • "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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Philip Cole" <philipcoleb@hotmail.co.uk>
Reply-To: philipcoleb@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:16:58 +0000
Subject: urgent

Dear Sir

My writing you this letter is necessitated by my
innermost desire to seek your assistance in a business
that requires high confidentiality and trust. I am Mr.
philip cole, supervisor for customers services with
Finance Bank for eight years now. I have been managing
and monitoring a customer's account worth USD39M
{Thirty Nine Million United States Dollars}. The
customer who is an expatriate from Iraq, Mr. Nazral
Umah, ran away from Iraq and settled down here as a
political refugee, but does not have a trace of his
family because the incumbent Sadam Hussein of Iraq
eliminated all his family members immediately he ran
away as an opposition to Sadam's government.

Mr. Umah is now late and nobody has come forward for
any claim of his money in our custody since three
years now after his death. I hereby seek your
cooperation and compromise with me, because I am in a
position to make every necessary change to your name
as the appropriate beneficiary and a relation to Mr.
Umah, and this money will be moved to your custody
pending my arrival to your country to open an account
and lodge the money. We could go into investment
negotiation based on your advice. For your
involvement, I suggest we share the money 75% for me
and 25% for you. Nevertheless, I assure you of every
authenticity and risk-free of this business proposal.
Contact me and furnish me with your comprehensive bank
information for us to progress as my time for
retirement is almost at hand.

If you wish not to use your current account number,
may be due to security reasons, we can equally open a
fresh account for the business. Please, treat with
absolute maturity, reservation and kindness even if
you are not interested to work with me, waiting to
hear from you soonest. Hold my dealings in strict
confidence.

Sincerely,

philip cole.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam