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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: Carlley MacDonel <ccmmac7@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <pin78uk@myself.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 06:05:47 +0200
Subject: GOOD NEWS {CONFIDENTIAL}



Thanks for giving me the opportunity. I am Mr.Carlley McDonel, a consulting auditor attached with a private Banking Services in London - UK. I am contacting you concerning a customer of our bank who had an investment placed under the bank's management 3 years ago valued at 14.2 Million United States Dollars which he wished to have us turn over on his behalf.
In August 2004, he asked that the money be liquidated because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash payments. He directed that I liquidate the funds and had it deposited with HANDELSBANKEN, a top Swedish bank but due to the complexities of thetask he was asking of us, he later instructed the transfer to be stopped and told me he would use the money upon his arrival from the States. This was the last communication we had since then. The bank has launched an investigation to know his whereabout butto no avail. In his bio-data form, he listed no next of kin this is because in the field of privatebanking, opening an account means no one will know of its existence, accounts are rarely held under a name. Depositors use numbers and codes to make the accounts anonymous.
As things stands now, there is 18.5 Million USD as value for his investment and the bank has no single idea of the history or nature of the deposit. They are simply awaiting for instructions to release the deposit to any party that comes forward. This bank has spent great amount of money trying to track the man's family and have investigated for months but found no known relative. After going through your profile, I decided to contact and place you in a position and instruct the bank to release the deposit to you as the closest relation. Upon receipt of the deposit, I am prepared to share the money with you and no more. Thatis, we share the proceeds 55% for me and 40% for you and 5% for the less previlaged and to spread the gospel of Christ.. All the expenses to ensure a smooth and successful transfer of the fund to your account will come from my side. I only need your full co-operation and to be following my instructions strictly.
Get back to me with the following to enable us proceed accordingly: (1) Your correct bank account information for the transfer. (2) Your direct telephone numbers where you can easily be reached to enable me contact you for us to have a heart to heart conversation. (3) I want you to assure me that you will never let me down either now or in future.{4} Your biogrophy.
Hope to hear from you.Mr. Carlley McDonelpin78uk@myway.com pin78uk@hotmail.com
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