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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
  (+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.

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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "former president of liberia" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "liberia" (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.
• 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.
  • martinsgarry@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "GARRY MARTINS" <rukija_akhmad@flashmail.com>
Reply-To: martinsgarry@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:53:33 +0800
Subject: RE:

Dear Sir
FROM THE DESK Of Barrister Garry Martins,

I crave your indulgence for the unsolicited nature of this
letter,
but it was borne out of desperation and current development.
Please
bear with me.

I am Barrister Garry Martins a solicitor at law.I was the
Personal attorney to His Excellency Mr. Charles Taylor,
former
president of Liberia, Herein after shall be referred to as
my client.
who is presently undergoing trails at the world court in the
Hauge for
war crime.

I am contacting you to assist in repatriating the money
deposited
with a finance security company with no name of
beneficairy,hoping he
will use the money abroad before his arrest. I am the only
person who
knows about this as his personal lawyer.Nobody knows that he
is the
real owner of the fund,because I helped him to register the
fund with
another name (Angela Smith) as the owner of the fund,so as
to prevent
the Federal Ministry of Finance from probing the fund. I
seek your
consent, to present you as the beneficiary, so that the
proceeds of
this account valued at USD$10 million dollars can be paid to
you and
then you and I can share the money on a term to be agreed by
both
parties.

I would get all the necessary legal documents that would be
needed and
used to back up this claim we may make. All I require is
your honest co-
operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee
that this
will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will
protect you
from any breach of law.

I have all documents backing the fund.This deal is strictly
confidential.Please get in touch with me through my private
e-mail:
martinsgarry@yahoo.com. Moreso! Do not fail to send me your
telephone
number with which I would be able to call you, so we can
talk on how I
can meet with you in person, so that we can discuss
extensively one-on-
one as regards this deal.I look forward to your urgent
response.

Best regards,
Barrister Garry Martins.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam