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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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.

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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:
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Harold James <haroldgracemann3@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <haroldjamescool@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:46:46 -0600
Subject: Greetings Dear Hoekstra




Dear Hoekstra, I am Mr. Harold James in charge of Bills and Foreign Exchange Remittance Department with a Finance House here in London. I am writing you this letter to ask for your support and co-operation to carry out this business opportunity in my department.
I discovered an unclaimed sum of $6.9 Million (Six Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars) deposited belonging to (Mr. Ball Hoekstra) citizen of your state who before his death lived and worked here in London. On the 7 July, 2005 my client, his wife and two children were killed as a result of a bomb explosion here in London.
For reference,
please visit this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_July_2005_London_bombings
After several unsuccessful attempts in trying to locate any of his extended relatives, I decided to trace members of his extended family over the internet hence I found your contact email. I am asking you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my late client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank where this huge Fund is deposited.
The bank has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated within the next 14 working days. Do to the fact that you both share the same surname. Particularly, I have been unsuccessful in locating his relatives for more than a year now; I hereby seek your consent in order to present you as the next of kin to the deceased. I have decided to give you 25% of the total sum in good faith.
Note: that there is no risk involved in this Transaction. Because I will use my position as an Officer to prepare all the legal documents/papers to back you up. All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us succeed without any hitch and I guarantee that this will be executed under a legal and legitimate arrangement that will protect us from any breach of the law in the near or even distant future. Therefore, If you are interested to work with me in good faith and honesty, or require additional information Please do reply me immediately. Looking forward to receiving your prompt reply Yours Faithfully, Mr. Harold James.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam