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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:

• 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:
  • "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)
  • "you will be given 30%" (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)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • wvicson12@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Willson Victor" <wvicson@lycos.it> (may be fake)
Reply-To: wvictor01@centrum.cz
Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 17:00:54 +0200
Subject: Greetings from Abidjan

Greetings from Abidjan

Before I introduce myself, I wish to inform you that this letter is not a
hoax mail and I urge you to treat it serious. We want to transfer to
overseas account (6,000.000.00 Dollars ) Six million US Dollars
from a prime Bank here in Abidjan. I want to ask you
If you are not capable to quietly look for a reliable and honest person
who will be capable and fit to provide either an existing bank account
or to set up a new Bank a/c immediately to receive this money, even
an empty a/c can serve to receive this money, as long as you will
remain honest to me till the end for this important business trusting in
you and believing in God that you will never let me down either now or
in future

I am Mr. Willson Victor , presently promoted to Auditor General in
one of the banks here in Abijian cote d'ivore . During the course of
our auditing last week, I discovered a floating fund in an account
opened in the bank in 1996 and since 1998 nobody has operated
on this account again, after going through some old files in the records I
discovered that the owner of the account died without a [Heir/WILL]
hence the money is floating and if I do not remit this money out urgently
it will be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is Mr. Keith
Lathan an American and a great industrialist and a resident of Alaska
State, who unfortunately lost his life in the plane, crash of Alaska
Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his wife
and only daughter leaving nobody to claim the money . No other person
knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has
no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that the
account is a secret account.

The total amount involved is Six million US Dollars only
[6,000.000.00 Dollars ] and we wish to transfer this money
into a safe foreigners account abroad. But I don't know any
foreigner, I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this
money cannot be approved to a local person here, but to a
foreigner who has information about the account, which I shall give
to you upon your positive response. I am revealing this to you with
believe in God that you will never let me down in this business,
you are the first and the only person that I am contacting for
this business, so please reply urgently so that I will inform you the
next step to take urgently. I need your strong assurance that you
will never let us down, me and a key bank official whois deeply
involved with me in this business.

I guarantee you that this transaction will be executed under a
legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of
the law. The bank official will destroy all documents of the
transaction immediately you receive this money leaving no trace
to any place. I will use my position and influence to obtain all
legal approvals for onward transfer of this money to your account
with appropriate clearance from the relevant ministries and foreign
exchange departments

At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 30% of the
total amount 70% will be for us. PLEASE, TREAT THIS PROPOSAL
AS TOP SECRET.

I look forward to your earliest reply,please reply to me through this
email (wvicson12@yahoo.co.uk).

Best Regards
Willson Victor.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam