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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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)
  • "million 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)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: mashall okoji <mashallokoji13@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <mashallokoji2@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2007 23:36:33 +0000
Subject: VERY URGENT..........



MR. MASHALL OKOJI.C/O UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC (UBN)PO Box 55506, IKOYI LAGOS BRANCH OFFICE LAGOS NIGERIA. Dear Sir/Madam, I am Mr. Mashall Okoji. of Union Bank Of Nigeria Plc .I am the personnel account manager of Mr. Patrick Barnett(Snr.) a national of your country, who used to work with shell Development Company here in Nigeria. On the 21st April 2005,our customer, his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident along Shagamu express road where all the occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives. Since then I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of his extended relatives and this has proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track his last name via the Internet to locate any member of his family and that was how I came across your information and my decision to contact you for your assistance in the repatriation of certain amount of funds (US$30M) and properties that were left behind by our customer before they got confiscated or declared unserviceable by my bank. The banking guidelines of UNION BANK OF NIGERA PLC stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed for over a period of time 2 years and above, with the account unserviceable, the money will be confiscated and this will happen after the next days if nobody comes for the money.Since we have not seen any body for the money and his properties for the last two years and our bank has been notifying the Rotary club for the past one year, I now seek your consent to present yourself as the assumed Next of Kin of the deceased since you have the same last name so that the proceeds of this account valued at US$30,000,000.00 (Thirty Million United States Dollars) only can be paid to you and then you and I can share the money. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.
Awaiting your immediate response.Best regards,
Mr. Mashall Okoji.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam