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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.

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

Fraud email example:

From: BRUCE WRONTWELL <brucewrontwell@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <m_smith200@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:07:09 -0800
Subject: My Dear Friend,



Mr. Mark Smith. 99, Queen's Road Central, E13 5TY, East London, United Kingdom. My Dear Friend, I am Mr. Mark Smith of Halifax Investment Bank, London. On July 6, 2004, our client Mr. Frederick M. Wong of 112 Kent Street, Redwood City, California, a businessman and Industrialist, made a numbered fixed deposit for 6 (six) calendar months, with a value of US$45 Million only with this bank. Upon maturity six Months later, several notices where sent to him and no response came from him. A final Maturity Notice on his investment was sent early February and still no response came from him. The Bank officially sent a two-man delegate to his residence and his official address as stated in his confidential file with the bank, only to find out that the business mogul and his wife perished in the ill fated Egyptian Flight 990 alongside his wife Lilla C. Wong . A confirmation of the death of Frederick M. Wong and his wife can be seen via the link below: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm After further investigations, it was also discovered that Mr. Frederick M. Wong did not declare any next of kin or trustee to the funds on behalf of the family of the deceased in his official papers apart from his wife who also died in the disaster, including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he visited my office that no one apart from his wife and me knew of this deposit in my bank. So, Forty Five million United State Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it, that I know for sure. According to the laws of the United Kingdom, at the expiration of a couple of years, without any transaction on the account, the funds will revert to the ownership of Government if nobody applies for claim of the funds. I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the Trustee to the said funds and not the next of kin as this would raise so much eyebrow and suspicion as you are in no way related to the deceased, Mr. Frederick M. Wong to enable you receive the funds. Let¢s put heads together to see how we can transfer these funds out of this country and use it judiciously. I have contacted an Attorney that will prepare the necessary documents that will back you up as the trustee to the said funds deposited by Mr. Frederick M. Wong. All that is required from you at this stage is for you to provide me with your full names and Address including your direct phone and fax numbers and your business or company name and contact details if you have any for the lawyer I have gotten to commence work immediately. My Attorney will also file in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary approvals and get most importantly, a letter which will be presented to my bank as written by Late Frederick M. Wong after making the deposits appointing you as his only trustee to the funds aside his wife known to the bank as his next of kin. This will all be in your favour for the funds to be moved to an account that will be provided by you. We are going to adopt a legalized method and the Attorney will prepare all the necessary documents and no risk will be involved. I am offering you 25% of the total sum for your assistance and partnership in this deal. Note, this is negotiable by you, so if this is not ok with you, let me know what sharing ratio you would want, if it is ok with me, we can go ahead. Contact me immediately with your full names, address, occupation, personal and direct fax and telephone number if you are interested to do this business with me and more details will be provided to you about the Project. please kindly response via mail (m_smith200@yahoo.com) Best Regards, Mark Smith.
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