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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 friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "hundred thousand united states 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)
• 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.
  • johnwool2023@excite.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "John Wool" <johnwool28@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: johnwool2023@excite.com
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 19:19:22 -0400
Subject: Please Acknowledge Receipt.

Mr. John Wool.
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited
65 Chulia Street, Singapore.
Email: johnwool2023@excite.com

Dear Friend,

I am contacting you on business transfer of a huge sum of money from a
deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will
make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will
be well at the end of the day. We decided to contact you due to the urgency
of this transaction.

We discovered an abandoned sum of (Seven million five hundred thousand
United States dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign
customer who died along with his entire family. Since his death, none of his
next-of-kin or relations has come forward to lay claims for this money as
the heir.

We cannot release the fund from His account unless someone applies for claim
as the next-of-kin to the Deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.
Upon this discovery, we now seek your permission To have you stand as a next
of kin to the Deceased as all documentations will be carefully worked out by
us for the funds (Seven million five hundred thousand united states dollars)
To be released in your favor as the beneficiary's next of kin. It may
Interest you to know that we have secured from the probate an order of
mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual
business endeavor by furnishing me with the Following;

1. Beneficiary name and address.
2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers.

These requirements will enable us file letter of claim to the appropriate
Departments for necessary approvals in your favor before the transfer can be
made. We shall be compensating you with a million dollars on final
conclusion of this project, while the rest shall be for us. Your share stays
while the rest shall be for us for investment purposes.

If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take undue Advantage of the
trust we have bestowed in you.

I await your response.
Regards,

Mr. John Wool

NB: If you are willing to assist me, including the information?s, I
requested from you, reply to my alternative email address:
johnwool2023@excite.com

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam