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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
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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:
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: "wells" <wells1chamber@aim.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 16:09:26 +0100
Subject: wells

Dear Wells,
,
Your name and e-mail address came up in a random draw conducted by our law firm, (Tony Adams Chambers) in London,United Kingdom.I am Barrister Steve Adams,the Legal Adviser and counsel to Mr.Pritchard Wells ,an expatriate contractor who used to work in the United Kingdom.Thereafter,shall be referred as my late client. On the December 26th 2003,my client and his entire family died in a plane crash in Cotonou, Benin Republic.You will read more stories about the crash on visiting this website:

Www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/ <http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/>

He was a well known philanthropist before he died. He made a Will stating that Seven Million and two hundred thousand US Dollars(US$7.2M) only should be donated to any Philanthropist of our choice overseas. We have made a random draw where your name and -mail address was picked as the beneficiary to this Will. I am particularly interested in securing this money from the Finance Company, because they have issued a notice instructing us to produce the beneficiary of this fund within two weeks or else the money will be Confiscated and credited to the treasury as per law here.It is my utmost desire to execute the Will of our late client in your favor and therefore, you are required to contact me immediately to start the process of sending this money to any or your designated official account.

I urgently request you to contact me immediately for further details bearing in mind that the Bank has given us a date limit.

I wait for your urgent response.

Barrister Steve Adams..

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam