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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "million us 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)
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "lagos" (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.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Paul Useni" <pauluseni4@msn.com>
Reply-To: pauluseni2@latinmail.com
Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 02:16:21 +0000
Subject: Treat as urgent.

Mr Paul useni,
Manager Banking Operations,
International Trust Bank Plc.
Plot 84/88, Ajose Adeogun street,
Victoria Island,
Lagos Nigeria.

Confidential Letter

First, I must solicit your confidence in this transaction, this is by virtue
of its nature as being
utterly CONFIDENTIAL and TOP SECRET. Though I know that a transaction of
this agnitude
will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all
will be well at the
end of the transaction.

We have decided to contact you by e-mail due to the urgency of this
transaction, as we have
been reliably informed of it's swiftness and confidentiality.

For the purpose of introduction,I am Mr Paul useni, Head, Banking
Operations, nternational
Trust Bank Plc, in charge of personal and corporate accounts above
US$5,000,000.00(five
million US Dollars only). I came to know of you in my private search for a
reliable and
reputable person to handle a very confidential transaction which involves
the transfer
of a huge sum of money to a foreign account requiring maximum confidence.

THE PROPOSITION:

A foreigner, late Mr Grahams Peterson, an Oil Merchant/Contractor with the
Federal
Govenment of Nigeria, until his death three years ago in a ghastly auto
crash, banked with us
here at International Trust Bank Plc, Lagos, and had a closing balance of
USD$21.5M (
Twenty-One Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars only) which
the bank
now unquestionably expects to be claimed by any of his available foreign
next of kin or
alternatively be donated to a discredited trust fund for arms and ammunition
at a military
war college here in Nigeria.

Fervent valuable efforts are being made by the Bank to get in touch with any
of the Peterson
family or relatives but all have proved to no avail. It is because of the
perceived possibility of
not going to be able to locate any of late Mr Grahams Peterson's next of kin
(he had no known
wife and children) that the management under the influence of our Chairman,
Board of
Directors, Retired Major General Kalu Uke Kalu, that an arrangement for the
fund to be
declared "UNCLAIMABLE" and then be subsequently donated to the Trust Fund
for Arms and
Ammunition which will further enhance the course of war in Africa and the
world in
general.

In order to avert this negative development, myself and some of my trusted
colleagues in the
bank now seek for your permission to have you stand as late Mr Gragams
Peterson's next of
kin so that the fund, USD$21.5M would be subsequently transferred and paid
into your bank
account as the beneficiary next of kin. All documents and proves to enable
you get this fund
have been carefully worked out and we are assuring you a 100% risk free
involvement. Your
share would be 30% of the total amount, 5% has been set aside for expenses
while the rest
would be for myself and my colleagues for investment purposes in your
company or
any country of your choice where the returns on investment will be optimal.

If this proposal is acceptable to you and you do not wish to take advantage
of the trust we
hope to bestow on you and your company, then kindly get to me immediately
via my e-mail
furnishing me with:

1.Your most confidential telephone number
2.Fax number
3.Exclusive e-mail so that I can forward to you the
relevant details of this transaction.
4.Your contact address.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated
co-operation.
Regards,
Mr Paul useni,
International Trust Bank Plc

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam