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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "vittorio foundation" (not involved with lotteries)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "anti-terrorism certificate" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "clear source of funds certificate" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "insurance fee " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "money transfer control number" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "high court" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
• Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +2348038047605 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
  • +2348020791090 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Tim Kolima ECOWAS OFFICE <tim_ecowascounsellor@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:59:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: ECOWAS DELIVERY OPTION



ECOWAS HEAD OFFICE
PLOT 4, BLOCK 23, GARKI, ABUJA - NIGERIA
TEL: +234 802-0791-090


Concern: Adelina Kuhn ,

I have been informed by the Vittorio foundation to anticipate your message as this office has been assigned to handle the payment of your grant donation prize.

Congratulation, a cheque has been issued in your name and we have concluded the processing of all documents that will facilitate the clearance of the cheque in your Bank.
This documents includes the following:

1.DONATION CHEQUE VALUED THE SUM OF US$1,000,000.00.
2.DONATION CERTIFICATE FROM THE VITTORIO FOUNDATION, ITALY.
3.CLEAR SOURCE OF FUNDS CERTIFICATES(C.S.F.C.)
4.ANTI-TERRORISM CERTIFICATES(A.T.C)
5.BENEFICIARY PAYMENT FORM(KINDLY NOTE THAT THIS IS THE FORM THAT STATES THE BENEFICIARIES NAME AND BANK NAME THAT WILL RECEIVE THE CHEQUE.)
6.LETTER OF AFFIDAVITS FROM THE NIGERIAN HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, STATING THAT THE DONATION WAS RECEIVED LEGALLY FROM THE UNIVERSAL DONATION PROGRAMME, AND DUELY SIGNED BY THE LEGAL ATTORNEY TO THE ECOWAS.


These documents have been securely sealed and packed for security reasons which makes it impossible for anyone to view it until its been delivered to you. But i have attached a scanned copy of your donation certificate to this email which was seperated from other documents as recipients have the right to view their donation certificate before receiving the original copy, to enable them acknowledge the correct writing of the bearers name.

Find below our delivery options which you are required to choose the one that is most convenient to you.

DHL



Cost of delivery
Mailing: US$25.10
Vat: US$5.40
Insurance: US$450.00



FEDEX

Cost of delivery
Mailing: US$21.00
VAT US$5.00
Insurance: US$450.00



UPS

Cost of delivery
Mailing: US$18.00






VAT US$5.00
Insurance: US$450.00

All three options are 48hours delivery after shipment

NB: THE INSURANCE FEE (US$450) IS ABSOLUTELY COMPULSORY, AND MUST BE PAID BEFORE THE SHIPMENT OF YOUR PARCEL WHILE THE MAILING FEE SHOULD BE PAID TO THE DELIVERY AGENT THAT WILL DELIVER YOUR PARCEL TO YOUR DOORSTEP).

Due to the diplomatic content of your parcel, it will be illegal to ship it without being insured as it will violate the federal delivery rules governing diplomatic parcel delivery. This means payment for the insurance fee must be made before shipment to avoid risk. This is because of some bad experience we had in the past. We can not afford to re-issue your cheque if anything goes wrong. In this case payment for the insurance fee is absolutely compulsory, while the mailing fee should be paid to any of the above listed delivery company you choose at the point of delivery.


Remittance for the Insurance fee should be made via Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram to our account office with be below stated informations.

Account officer name: Deng Rawlings
Receiver's Address: Plot 4, Block 23, Garki, Abuja - Nigeria.

After transfer you are required to email the transfer informations to this office.
Your transfer informations should include:
Sender's name as used in transferring the fund:
Senders Address:
Money Transfer Control Number or Reference Number:
Text Questions and Answer:

Indicate the delivery option that is most convenient to you from the above listed options and confirm residential address where the parcel will be delivered.


You are also required to email a scanned copy of the transfer slip/receipt for documentation purpose.


Your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before remittance. This means that the above insurance charges cannot be deducted from the prize and hence must be provided by you before your parcel is shipped. This is in accordance with section 13(1)(n) of the international gambling act as adopted in 1993 and amended on 3RD july 1996 by the constitutional assembly.This is to protect receipients and to avoid misappropriation of funds.

Your response is been awaited.

Regards
Mr.Tim Kolima
Counsellor - Ecowas
Tel: +2348038047605
+2348020791090



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam