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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.

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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:
  • "inheritance funds" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
  • "with absolute secrecy" (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)
• 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.
  • livinushughes@safe-mail.net
  • livinus_hughes@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: livinus_hughes01@zipmail.com.br
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 00:05:30 -0800
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Inheritance=20Funds=20Claim?=

Inheritance Funds Claim



From: Livinus Hughes
Private Email: livinushughes@safe-mail.net
livinus_hughes@myway.com
Subject: Inheritance Fund
Date: 2nd Nov., 2006.

Hello friend,

I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary to your moral ethics,
But please treat it with absolute secrecy and personal courtesy. I am Mr.Livinus
Hughes an Auditor of a commercial Bank here in the United Kingdom, in the
the process of auditing our bank accounts I and one of my colleagues discovered
that there is a dormant account valued at the sum US$10,000,000.00 (Ten
million united states Dollars) and after due verification of this account
we discovered that the account owner is late and that is why the account
has been dormant and as such a US$10,000,000.00 has been lying in the bank
unclaimed.

The idea of presenting somebody who is not related to our late customer
and also who is not resident in the United Kingdom to act as his next of
kin came into my mind that was how and why we have contacted you to present
you as his next of kin, so that the US$10,000,000.00 will be paid to you
and we can both disburse the fund according to the percentage we will agree
on.

In view of this, I am seeking for your co-operation and understanding to
stand as the next of kin to our deceased customer, to enable us claim the
fund from my bank.

Hence, If this proposal is OK by you and you do not wish to take undue advantage
of my trust, then I hope to bestow on you. Please kindly get back to me
immediately, strictly via my private email address only:
livinushughes@safe-mail.net
to enable me enlighten you on how we are to proceed.

We shall disburse the US$10,000,000.00 between us, as follows, 60% for us
and 40% for you, we intend to
invest part of our own share in real estate business in your country, and
we would appreciate if you can
put us in the right part investing in your country.I will not contact any
other person or company until I
hear from you, so as to enable me decide on what to do next. Be rest assured
that this business is 100% risk free.

We await for your prompt response.


Regards,
Livinus Hughes
Email Address: livinushughes@safe-mail.net
livinus_hughes@myway.com


NB: PLEASE NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE NOT RELATED TO MY LATE
CUSTOMER, THE FUND WILL STILL BE
PAID TO YOU, SINCE WE ARE PRESENTING YOU AS HIS NEXT OF KIN.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam