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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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "await your urgent response" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
• 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.
  • bspencer372@netscape.net (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Bill Spencer......United Kindom" <bspencer372@yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: bspencer372@netscape.net
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 18:16:14 +0200
Subject: Dear Friend


Dear friend,


My name is Bill Spencer. I was the account officer in a bank here in the United Kingdom to Frederick M. Wong, an international businessman whom i just found out that he has passed away in an air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline boeing 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this fact from the website which was aired by the BBC WORLD NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hiv/world/americas/502503.stm
I am contacting you in respect of the transfer of a huge sum of money in the deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this nature and magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that everything has been taken care of, and all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the
secrecy,confidentiality and urgency of this transaction as my job is on the line here.
Since his death, none of his relations or persons have come forward to lay claims to his this funds as next-of-kin, and on my own i have made concerted effort to locate any of his relatives but all prove abortive, which makes me to believe that maybe nobody of his knows that he was operating this foreign account with my bank. Based on the ethics and policies of the bank, this funds will be declared unclaimed funds and taken to the treasury of the bank as capital base of the bank, because already the account has been tagged dormant because it has exceeded the normal functional number of years.We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.
Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission and assistance to present you and have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased,so that the funds can be released and transfer to you, as all documentations will be carefully worked out by me for the funds (US$11 million) to be released in your favor as the beneficiary's next of kin, if not the members of the board of directors will utilise it for their personal aggrandisement. Because after four years as this is the fifth year going the money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared amongst the directors of the bank, so it is on this note i decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds rather than allow the bank directors to share this money amongst themselves at the end of the year.It may interest you to know that I have secured from the probate commission an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries.
Upon your acceptance I shall send you my identity for more confidentiality and trust in each other as i shall trust you not to elope with this funds when it finally gets toyour account. I shall be compensating you with a million dollars ($2 Million dollars) on final conclusion of this project for your assistance, while the balance, i shall used in prolific investment project based on your advised Because I intend to retire after the conclusion of this transaction. If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me immediately.
Do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you, I await your urgent responseas i will advise that you contact me at(bspencer372@netscape.net )for confidentiality purpose and you can as well reach me on 0044 703 186 1392 for an urgent personal discussion.
Regards,
Bill Spencer

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam