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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "keep this confidential" (they don't want anyone to point out to you that this is a scam)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • ecowas_wst_africa@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: "ECO WAS" <ecowas_001@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 17:12:46 -0500
Subject: Very Very Urgent

Dear friend,

You have not received this email in error, l just
want to see how possible it is for both of us to
work on a venture. Note that this email is not
one of those bogus email sent over the internet
to play on people’s intelligence.

Please forgive me, l prefer to remain anonymous
for now. I am writing you from one of the African
countries. My father was before his death, a top
government official; early last year my father and
eight other men were arrested by the government
on allegation of subversive activities; this was
nothing but a mere political persecution. Let me
leave the rest of the story for later.

A month before this event, l accompanied my father
on a trip to a near by country, where he made a
secret deposit of several millions of dollars concealed
in a box containing antiquities. He told the director
that the deposit will remain there until the arrival of
his foreign partner from Denmark who will have it
shipped abroad for a museum exhibition.

Since my father’s death, l have not been able to
legally take possession of the deposit. The director
insist l must come with my late father’s foreign partner
in respect of whom he made the deposit. It is in view
of this, that l have decided to contact you for assistant.
I want you to assist me in taking possession of the
deposit as my late father’s foreign partner in the
Denmark whom he was expecting. And l would also need
your assistant in investing the money in a good profit
oriented venture abroad.

If you will assist me, l promise you will be highly
rewarded. If you are responding to this email, Please
send me your response through the following email
address:

ecowas_wst_africa@yahoo.com

Please Keep this confidential and treat with discretion,
while I wait to hear from you. May God be with you.

Thank you.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam