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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:
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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "for your efforts, i am prepared to offer you " (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)
  • "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)
  • "confidentiality of this transaction" (they don't want anyone to point out to you that this is a scam)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • mike_johnsonfamily@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "debora johnson" <debora_johnsoni26@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2006 09:25:39 +0000
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP URGENTLY

Mrs Debora Johnson.
Jhb,South Africa
contact my son mike with this email
mike_Johnsonfamily@hotmail.com

Dear Sir/Madam,

I NEED YOUR HELP URGENTLY

I know that you will be surprised to receive this letter. Please consider
this letter as a request from a family in dire need of help. I am Mrs Debora
Johnson of Liberia, the wife of Brigadier Victor Johnson. I got your
contact through the South African Information Exchange (S.A.I.E.)regarding
your Trustworthiness. My purpose of contacting you is to help me out of my
difficult condition in view of my husband's death. I need your assistance to
help me to transfer some money out of South Africa into your personal or
Company's account. The amount involved is US$7.2M ( Seven Million Two
Hundred Thousand United States Dollars).

My late husband was in charge of arms purchasing for Liberia armed forces
and he generated this money in the course of purchasing arms for Liberia
armed forces. He deposited this money with a private security company here
in South Africa in cash and I assure you that nobody knows about this money
except my two sons and me.

All I am asking you is to assist us to transfer this money out of South
Africa for investment purposes. The reason being that I and my two sons are
living in South Africa as political asylum seekers and the financial laws of
south Africa do not allow AsylumSeekers certain financial rights, hence I
shall be very grateful if you can assist us. For your efforts, I am prepared
to offer you 25% of the total money while 5% will be set aside for local and
international expenses incurred during the course of this transaction.

As soon as you get this message, please contact my son Mike Adams with this
contact Email :mike_Johnsonfamily@hotmail.com

The assurance I will always give you is that this transaction is 100% risk
free, as I do not want anything to happen to this money. Finally, if you are
not interested, I will like you to always keep the confidentiality of this
transaction.

Best regards,

Mrs Debora Johnson
(For The Family)

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam