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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• 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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "await your urgent response" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• 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.
  • barrsm_martins@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "barrsm_martins" <barrsm_martins@terra.com.mx>
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2006 15:02:36 -0600
Subject: Letter From Martins,Reply Back Immediately.



Dear Friend,

Greetings to you and your family. I am Barr. Smith Martins, a South African Nationale. I am presently attached to the South African Consulate office in London.
I am the personal attorney to late Mr. Mack Suarez who until his death was an engineer with AFRICAN PETREOLEUM PLC SOUTH AFRICA. On the 8th of April 2002, my clientdied in ghastly auto-crash, which claimed the lives of all occupants of the vehicle (i.e.) himself, his only daughter and her foster mother.

I am contacting you due to several futile efforts I have made to get in touch with any of my clients extended relatives, to assist me in retrieving the deposit valued at US$8,500.000.00 [Eight million Five hundred thousand US dollars] which my late client deposited for safe keeping in a Finance company in South Africa under my legal supervision.

I had received several instructions from the Finance firm until last week when I was called up and issued a final notice to provide the bonafide next of kin to the estate within the next 30 days or the company will be compelled to declare the deposit to the relevant authorities as dormant/unserviceable deposit.

In line with my duty as attorney to the deceased, I have been mandated by the security firm back home in South Africa to provide the next of kin to my late client. All I need to do is to put up a formal claim in your favor so that the total deposit will be released to you for the mutual benefit of two of us.

We shall discuss the procedure as well as the terms and conditions under which we shall run the transaction soon as my noble proposal is acknowledged by your good self.

I await your urgent response via my personal contact barrsm_martins@yahoo.com so that we proceed immediately.

Yours in service,
Barr. Smith Martins Esq.
barrsm_martins@yahoo.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam