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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:
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "a security company " (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. )
  • "trunk box" (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)
  • "trunk boxes" (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)
  • "your urgent reply" (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)
  • "does not know the contents of the box" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Garry Adams" <garryadams1966@msn.com>
Reply-To: garryadams1965@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:26:29 +0000
Subject: From Mr Garry Adams.

Good day,

I am Mr. Garry Adams, deputy senior regional manager at Lloyds TSB
Commercial Finance in Yorkshire. I have urgent and very confidential
business proposition for you. On June 6, 2000, Mr. Barry Kelly made a
numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for forty-eight months, (being four years)
valued at US$40,000,000.00, (fourty Million, Dollars) in my branch.

Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but
got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered
from his employers, that Mr. Barry Kelly died from tsunami on his holidays
in Thailand 26 December 2004. On further investigation, I found out that he
died without making a WILL and all attempts to trace his next of kin was
fruitless. I therefore made further investigation and
discovered that Mr. Barry Kelly did not declare any kin or relations in all
his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank.

This sum of US$40,000,000 has carefully been moved out of my bank to a
security company for Safe-keeping .No one will ever come forward to claim
it. According to British Law, at the expiration of (three) years, the money
will revert to the ownership of the British Government if nobody applies to
claim the fund.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you to stand in as the owner
of the money I deposited it in a security company in two trunk boxes though
the security company does not know the contents of the boxes as I tagged
them to be photographic materials for export. I am writing you because I as
a public servant (Manager with the bank), I cannot operate a foreign account
or have an account that is more than $1m. I want to present you as the owner
of the boxes in the security company so you can be able to claim them with
the help of my attorney. This is simple.

The money will be moved out for us to share in the ratio of 70% for me and
30% for you. There is no risk at all as all the paper work for this
transaction will be done by the Attorney and this will guarantees the
successful execution of this transaction. If you are interested, please
reply immediately via my email address upon your response, I shall then
provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you
understand the transaction.

Please observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require
your assistance to invest my share in Buying of properties like houses,
hotels and doing charity works etc.

Awaiting your urgent reply.

Thanks and regards.

Garry Adams.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam