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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "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)
  • "this business is hitch free " (a common phrase found 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.
  • mark_ecoghana@wanadoo.es (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: mr.mark54@zipmail.com.br
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 06:09:22 -0700
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Greeting=20from=20Mark?=

Greeting from Mark Edward,

My name is Mr. Mark Edward, in charge of Credit and Foreign bills Of (Erb
Resource Bank Limited Ghana) I am writing in respect of a foreign customer
of my bank with account number 014-2505-114822 whose name is Mr. Kim, Changho
a citizen of United State Of America who perished in a plane crash (Korean
Air Flight 801) with the whole passengers aboard on August 6, 1997.

For your perusal you can view this site http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list

Since the demise of this our customer, I personally has watched with keen
interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one has
come to claim his funds of US$9.5M (Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars) which has been with my branch for a very long time.

On this note, I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the Next
of Kin as no one has come up to be the next of kin. And the banking ethics
here does not allow such money to stay more than eight years, because money
will be recalled to the bank treasury as unclaimed after this period.

Upon the receipt of your response, I will send you by fax or e-mail the
application, bank's fax number and the next step to take. I will not fail
to bring to your notice that this business is hitch free and that you should
not entertain any fear as all modalities for fund transfer can be finalized
within five banking days, after you apply to the bank as a relation to the
deceased.

As soon as you receive this letter, kindly send me an e-mail signifying
your decision including your contact address, private Tel/Fax numbers for
quick communication.

Althernative . mark_ecoghana@wanadoo.es

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Mark Edward.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam