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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "a reliable and reputable person to handle this" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "lagos" (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.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr Godwin Nsikan" <drgodwin_8@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: drgodwin206@yahoo.de
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2006 08:44:21 -0800
Subject: UNION BANK PLC

UNION BANK PLC
LAGOS-NIGERIA.

Dear Sir/Madam,

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP First, I must solicit your
confidence in this transaction, this is by virtue of it?s nature as being
utterly CONFIDENTIAL.

I am Dr Godwin Nsikan a member of Board of Directors of UNION BANK PLC
Lagos. I came to know of you in my private search for a reliable and
reputable person to handle this confidential transaction, which involves
the transfer of a huge sum of
money to a Foreign Bank Account requiring maximum confidence.

THE PREPOSITION The Late Engineer MARK JOHNSON, Lebanese national and an
oil merchant/contractor with the Federal Government of Nigeria, until his
death three years ago in a ghastly air crash, banked with us here at the
UNION BANK PLC, Lagos, and had a closing balance of USD20,000,000.00 (Twenty
Million Dollars) which the bank now unquestionably expect it to be claimed
by MARK JOHNSON?S next of kin or alternatively be donated to a Charity
Organisation here.

Efforts have been made by the UNION BANK, to get in touch with any of the
JOHNSON?S family but to no avail. It is because of the perceived
impossibility of not being able to locate ENGR MARK JOHNSON?S next of kin
that the management under the influence of our Chairman Board of Directors,
Major General Kalu Ike Kalu who has agreed that since the incident occurred
in 1998 and has left the fund dormant and devalued, we should transfer the
fund overseas and utilize it either on stock exchange market or personal
business interest.

Your role is very important as the fund when concluded on transfer will be
justifiably presented as having been remitted to the next of kin which is
assumed to be you. Your interest will be protected as unnecessary
documentation will be avoided and adequate percentage scheduled for mutual
benefit.

1. Account holder
20% (foreign Partner)
2. Nigerian Partner 80% (Nigerian Partner)

You are required to contact me immediately by return mail. Be informed that
all parties interest should be protected in terms of confidentiality.
Note that all modalities necessary for the transfer of fund have been
perfected and the transaction is 100% risk free.
Awaiting your prompt response whether accepted or not.
Regards,
Dr Godwin Nsikan

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam