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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
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "it will be a bank to bank transfer" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "there are practically no risks involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Welbeck Abra Appiah" <welbeck30@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: welbeck21@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 03:14:58 -0700
Subject: Partnership and Call me Please!!!

Dear Friend,

I am Mr.Welbeck Apra Appiah;a retired managing director with Amalgamated
Bank Limited here in republic of Ghana West Africa.I contacted you becuase i
believed you can be of assistance to me.I write you this letter in good
faith after getting your contact information through a personal search.I
have a transaction of Twelve Million, Seven hundred Thousand US dollars
($12,700,000.00) and I realized this fund from my branch as excess profit
when i was in service as a branch manager.

I deposited this fund in an Escrow call account were nobody will have access
to it;Even my bank does not have access to this account because it cannot be
used for any transaction;I did not declare this fund to the bank before my
retirement. I am contacting you, to stand as the beneficiary of this fund
because only a foreigner can stand as the beneficiary.Can I trust you to
hold this money for me until I come to your country after the transfer for
my share?

All I need from you is to stand as the original depositor of this fund and
provide an account where this money will be transferred into.There are
practically no risks involved because it will be a bank to bank transfer
which will not take us more than three banking working days.

I will give you 40% of the money as gratification,If you accept my offer;You
can contact me only on my private phone number 00233243525624 or private
email-address above.

I will appreciate your timely response as soon as you receive this mail.

Yours Truly,
Mr.Welbeck Apra Appiah.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam