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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:

• 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)
  • "from the desk of" (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)
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • umehwillams@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "ACCOUNTANT umhewillams" <umeh_willams2@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: umehwillams@myway.com
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 13:55:04 +0000
Subject: ACCOUNTANT OF CITIZENS INTERNATIONAL BANK

FROM THE DESK OF MR UMEH WILLAMS
ACCOUNTANT OF CITIZENS INTERNATIONAL
BANK PLC (C.I.B), NIGERIA
TEL:234- 802-849-5568

Dear Friend,

I am an accountant of CITIZENS INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC (C.I.B) at foreign remittance department. There is a business I would want you to champion for me.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of ($35,000,000.00 U.S) thirty five million US dollars) . In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family Sunday, 2 February, 2003, 18:50 GMT in a plane crash. property See the 2 website of the bomb explosion below: -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2718295.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2698081.stm

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines, but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin's or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I and other officials in my department now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don’t want this money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed blithe Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after five years, the money will be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.

The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burnable cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner. We agree that 35% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 20% for any charity organization in your country while 5% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 40 % would be for me.
 
There after I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated. Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged, You must apply first to the bank as relations or next of kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where in the money will be remitted.

All modalities of this transaction have been carefully worked out and once started will not take more than SEVEN (7) working days, with your full support. this transaction is 100% risk free. It involves no any implication and no any precaution there after.

Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of application which you will fill and send to the bank for immediate claim. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter.
PLEASE ENDEAVOUR TO REPLY IN THIS E-MAIL;  umehwillams@myway.com
Trusting to hear from you immediately. You can call me on my cell phone:+ 234-802-849-5568

Yours faithfully,
mr umeh willams

 

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam