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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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• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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 friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
• 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.
  • frankowusu_phillip@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "MR. FRANK OWUSU PHILLIP" <frankowusu_icb@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: frankowusu_phillip@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:42:13 +0100
Subject: THANKS.

From: Mr. Frank Owusu Phillip
International Commercial Bank,
Ghana West Africa.

Dear Friend,
I got your contact during my search on the Internet, search for an
honest person, my name is Mr. Frank Owusu Phillip. The regional manager of
International Commercial Bank, Teshie Nungua Branch Ghana. I am a
Ghanaian by birth, 46years of age and married with three children.
Although I am not comfortable to send this proposal to you because of
increase in SCAM and FRAUD especially in Africa , but I am too sure
that this is not Scam because you have access to confirm, provided you did
not let my Bank know the source of your information. I have packaged a
financial transaction that will benefit both of us. As the regional
manager of the bank, it is my duty to send financial reports to my head
office in the capital city of Accra Ghana.
On the course of the last year 2005 end of the year's report, i
discovered that my branch, in which I am the manager, made twenty-four
million us dollars. ($24,000,000.00) Of which my head office is not aware and
will never be aware of it. I have since then PLACED this fund in an
ESCROW CALL ACCOUNT without a beneficiary. As the regional manager of
the bank, I cannot be directly connected to this Money thus, I am
impelled to request for your assistance to receive this money into your bank
account.

I intend to part 25% of this fund to you while 75% shall be for me and
two officers who will assist me move the fund to your account. I do
need to assure you that there are no risks involved in this Business. It
is going to be a Bank-to-Bank transfer. All i need from you is to stand
as the original depositor of this fund. If you accept this offer, i
will appreciate your timely response and then we shall discuss on how you
will keep our share.
You can contact me with my private Email, frankowusu_phillip@yahoo.com

With regards,

Frank Owusu Phillip.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam