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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:

• 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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • marknelsonzza@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mark Nelson" <marknelsonoza1@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: marknelsonzza@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 22:54:29 +0200
Subject: Please Reply ASAP

From The Desk of Mark Nelson,
Date: December 4, 2006

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Mark Nelson, the Director of a Financial Security Company. I have
the pleasure of writing this letter to you in strict confidence, I decided
to contact you after due consideration believing that you will not
disappoint me over this project.

I have been working with this Company for over ten [10] years. Within this
period, I have watched with meticulous precision how African Leaders and
Government Functionaries have been using this company to move out large
sums of Money in USD$, Pounds Sterling, French Francs to their Foreign
Partners. They deposit these funds with us secretly as Jewelries, Gold,
Diamonds, Precious Stones, Family Treasures and Documents Etc.

They send the funds to their foreign Partners/friends who claim these funds
for their personal investment. A lot of the funds have been here unclaimed
for over ten [10] years and most of the depositors are dead. I am contacting
you to solicit your cooperation to recover some of this wealth they left
behind, My idea here is that the two of us will share the funds, in any
agreed ratio, because I need you to claim the fund and I will release the
funds legally so that no questions, or suspicions will be raised anywhere, I
therefore earnestly solicit your sincere cooperation in this matter.

I guarantee that the transaction will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement, which will not involve any breach of international/local laws.
and there will be no problem as a result of the transaction. I look forward
to receiving your positive response to this offer, through my e-mail address
:marknelsonzza@yahoo.co.uk

Yours Truly,

Mark Nelson.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam