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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "insurance fee " (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. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "clearance certificate" (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. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "huge amount of money" (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)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • benjamin_toulu2@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: uba_c@zipmail.com.br
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:56:50 +0100
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?COMPASETION?=

Dear Friend,

My greetings to you and your Family, I have been
waiting for you since to contact me for your Confirmable
Bank Draft of ($1.2m) United States Dollars, but I did
not hear from you since that time, Then I went and
deposited the Draft with Apess Courier Delievery
company ,Cotonou,Benin Republic, before I travelled
out of the country for a short Course and i will not
come back till end of next Month.

What you have to do now is to contact the Apess
Courier Delievery Company as soon as possible to
know when they will deliver your package to you
because of the expiring date.For your information,
I have paid for the delivering Charges, Insurance
fee and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque
showing that it is not a Drug Money nor to sponsor
Terrorist attack in your Country.

The only money you will send to the Courier & S
ecurity Company to deliver your Draft direct to
your postal Address in your country is £98.00 only
being their Security Keeping Fee of the Courier
Company so far.Again, Do not be deceive by any
person to pay any other money except £98.00,I would
have paid that but they said no because they don't
know when you will contact them in case of demurrage.

You have to contact the Apess Courier Delievery
Company now for the delivery of your Draft with
this information bellow. Apess Courier Delievery
Company Benin Republic.
E-mail: benjamin_toulu2@yahoo.com

Registration Reference No; wwdsc/xxx/100
Code Number:xxxdcsc/6545

Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your Postal
address and Direct telephone number to them
again to avoidany mistake on the Delivery and
Let me repeat again,try to contact them as soon
as you receive this mail to avoid any further delay
and remember to pay them their security Keeping
fee of £98.00 for their immediate action.
You should also Let me know through email as
soon as you receive your draft.

Note. Apess courier delievery company do not know
the contents of the parcel.I
registered it as my photograph (pix) being sent to a
friend overseas.

They do not know that it contains a bank draft of
such a huge amount of money, this is to avoid
them tempering with the parkage. Do not let
them know know the contents.
Am waiting to hear the good news from you.

Regards,
Mr. Uba Chukwuma

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam