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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447031872380 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Davies Watson" <barr_davies_watson044@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: barr_davies_watson20000@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 04:32:16 -0500
Subject: How are you Krist.

>From the Desk of Barrister Davies Watson.
5B RIGGA CRESENT
LONDON N4 2HS.UK
TEL: +447031872380
FAX: +447092844498


Attn: Krist,

I am Barrister Davies Watson an attorney to a national of your country, who
used to work with Shell Petroleum Development Company, London, here in after
shall be referred to as my client. On the 7th of July 2005, my client, his
wife and their three children died as a result of the bomb blast terrorist
attack.Unfortunately, fifty occupants of the underground train lost their
lives to the bomb blast including my client and his family.

Since then I have made several inquiries to your embassy to locate any of my
late clients extended relatives this has also proved unsuccessful.

My purpose of contacting you is to assist me in repatriating the money left
behind by my client prior to his death before they get confiscated or
declared unserviceable by the Bank where the deceased had a deposit valued
at about 5.5Million pounds.

The bank had issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the
account confiscated within the next 60 official working days since I have
been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 3 weeks now, I seek
your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased since you
have the same last name/surname so that the proceeds of this account valued
at 5.5million pounds can be transfered to you and then we can share the
money afterwards.

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us in seeing this deal
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement
that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Please get in touch with me with your phone and fax number including your
full contact address and full names to enable us discuss more and to enable
me actualize my already planed strategics on how to get this deposited fund
out from the HSBC Holdings plc Bank, No. 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ.

Please kindly treat as urgency.

Best regards,

Davies Watson.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam