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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• 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:
  • "the consignment " (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)
  • ",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)
  • "await your urgent response" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "utmost confidentiality" (they don't want anyone to point out to you that this is a scam)
  • "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
• This email message is a orphan scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • thomasmark707@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: thoma mark <thomasmark60@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <thomasmark707@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2007 01:36:48 -0300
Subject: Dear Sir/Ma, (Treat Urgent)


Dear Sir/Ma, (Treat Urgent) I am Thomas Mark, born on February 13 1972 and I am one of the two survived sons of late Chief George Bangora of Sierra-Leone who traded in gold and diamond before his assassination during the Sierra Leone civil war,my late Father, mother, and one sister were assassinated and burnt beyond recognition by rebels after looting cash, diamonds and gold from my family I am contacting you in respect of the sum of $18,500.000.00 (eighteen million five hundred thousand USD )deposited by my late father in a private security company before he died,This FUND is part of money he realized from the sales of diamonds and gold Meanwhile,the consignment containing the fund was deposited with a private security company in Ghana by my late father,when I came to Ghana I made an enquiry and confirmed that the consignment containing the fund is in their safe custody. Note that my late father declared the consignment containing the fund as containing family valuables and he did this for privacy and security reasons, Due to my refugee status in Ghana right now I am not qualified to claim the deposits, I contacted a Ghanaian Army General to help me in claiming one of the boxes that contained $7,000.000.00M USD and my sick brother issued him a power of attorney and made a change of ownership but when the first box containing $7,000,000,00M USD were handed over to him, he disappeared and that is the last time I saw him and as such my sick brother revoked the power of attorney and he could not claim the last box containing the remaining $11,500.000.00M USD (eleven million five hundred thousand USD.) and as a result of that the box is still under the custody of the private security company. Note that my late father deposited the consignment containing the FUND with the security company as family treasures for safe keeping, so the security company is unaware that the actual content is cash.What I require from you now is your agreeing that I assign you as the new beneficiary with utmost HONESTY assuring me that you will not betray me when the box containing the FUND is handed over to you, by issuing you a power of attorney and making a change of ownership which will authorize you to contact the security company and inform them of your desire to retrieve the deposited consignment.I agree to COMPENSATE you with 30% of the total sum of the remaining $11,500,000.00M USD left while we will invest 60% in joint lucrative business with you and 10% will be made available for my personal expenditure to secure new documents that will enable me to travel down to join you in your country.Contact me via my private email address (thomasmark707@yahoo.com.hk)
I await your urgent response via my private email address so that I will give you more details about how we are going to follow to achieve our goal,Please treat this transaction with utmost confidentiality. Yours Faithfully,Thomas Mark
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam