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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "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)
  • "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: JAMES <wabarajames@unionbank.org> (may be fake)
Reply-To: wabarajames2@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Mon, 7 May 2007 15:33:49 +0100
Subject: IT IS WELL

Dear Sir/Madam
I am Dr JAMES WABARA senior branch Manager of Union
Bank Plc in Abuja Nigeria.Iam contacting you to assist in the claim of
some outstanding sum of money which was left by one of my very good
clients who died in a AF4590 plane crash on his way to america after
he left nigeria to see his family in germany.
This client Christian Eich was an engineer with one of the foremost
construction firms here in Nigeria Dantata Sawoe at Abuja. He left no
known next of kin and all our attempts to trace someone related to him
to whom we could pay the money have met a dead end.I have now
personally decided to contact you to stand on behalf of the family so I
can present you as his next of kin using my influence as a senior
Manager
of this bank.
The amount involved is USD10.3 million (Ten million three hundred
thousand United States Dollars) which is the account balance.
You can view the website for more details on the death of the man
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
I look forward to hearing from you with
your full name and address and contact phone number asap.
Yours
faithfully
James Wabara

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam