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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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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • s_smithmartinschambers@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Smith Martins" <martins7smith@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: s_smithmartinschambers@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 08:17:50 -0800
Subject: Hello:Wojciechowski

Hello:Wojciechowski

EMAIL :(s_smithmartinschambers@yahoo.co.uk)

I am Barrister Smith Martins a Legal practitioner to the Harmony law
Chambers,situated at Lagos-Nigeria .I am the personal attorney to
Mr.Wojciechowski a national of your country, who used to work with Shell
Development Company in Nigeria,Here in after shall be referred to as my
client. On the 21st of April 2002, my client, his wife and their only
daughter were involved in a car accident along Lagos express road.

All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost there lives.Since then I
have made several enquiries to your embassy here to locateany of my clients
extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several
unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track his last name over the Internet,to
locate any member of his family hence I contacted you. I have contacted you
to assist inrepatriating the fund valued at US$10.5million left behind by my
client before it gets confiscated or declared unserviceable by the
SecurityFinance Firm where this huge amount were deposited. The said
SecurityFinance company has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or
have the account confiscated within the next fourteen official workingdays.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives forover 4 years
now,I seek the consent to present you as the next of kin to the
deceased since you have the same last names, so that the proceeds of this
account can be paid to you,Therefore, on receipt of your positive response,
we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer.

I have all the necessary information andlegal documents needed to back you
up for claim. All I require from you is your honest cooperation to enable us
see this transaction through I guarantee that this will be executed under
legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Best regards,
Smith Martins.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam