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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:

• 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:
  • "transferred into your bank account" (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)
  • "million dollars" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "nigeria national petroleum corporation" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • richard.drphilip@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Dr Philip Richard <philip_richard01@live.com>
Reply-To: <richard.drphilip@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:08:43 +0100
Subject: From Dr. Philip Richard













>From Dr. Philip Richard REQUEST FOR URGENT & CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP FOR THE TRANSFER OF $30,000,000.00 I presume this letter will not be a surprise to you, since We have not met before; your contact address came to me through a friend of mine, who is a member assisting with trade development commission of your embassy here in Nigeria. Truly he always says well about you in terms of business network services, but I never tell him about this request. I am Dr. Philip Richard, an employee of the federal government of Nigeria owned corporation, Nigeria national petroleum corporation (NNPC). Few years ago, the federal government of Nigeria instructed the corporation (NNPC) to award contract on behalf of the government for the building of a refinery in the northern part of Nigeria. In respect of this I and three of my co-employees of the corporation was appointed as the contract awarding committee, to deliberate on the best foreign companies to handle the project. And after much deliberation within members of the committee, the contract was awarded to sale drilling Ag of Austria. But before awarding this contract, we the members of the committee has secretly agreed to over-invoice and inflate the actual contract value with the tune of US$ 30,000,000.00 (Thirty million dollars) which we shall use a reliable foreign company or person to claim. Meanwhile, the contract has been completed and commissioned, the actual contract value has been paid to the contractor that executed the contract, leaving this over-invoiced sum of US$30 million dollars. Now we have decided to choose you as a company to claim this money, we will per sent you as a contractor that supplied electrical equipments, paints and all the coatings used in the refinery. You will be in front to get all the necessary approvals and formalities that will justifies you as the actual beneficiary from the concerned government ministries before the fund will be transferred into your bank account. We will sub-contract the project to you and get your company name enlisted in the government contract award blue print, and you will be recognized as a legitimate contractor and beneficiary of this US$30m dollars.This we will do with some documents and information as we will require from you. On your acceptance to take up this project with us, we have jointly agreed to share the funds as follows: You will take 30% of the total sum transferred into your account, which is US$30m dollars, for your contribution towards the success of this transaction.10% will be set aside for deduction of all the expenses that will be encountered by you and us during the cause of processing the necessary approvals/documents from the government ministries, NNPC, Federal Ministry of finance and Central bank of Nigeria for the transfer of the funds into your account. While 60% will be given to us on arrival in your country, which we hope to use part of it to import goods from your country or invest in any lucrative business or buying of properties. Please bear in mind that this transaction is 100% risk free, as we have done our homework accordingly. We shall commence the transfer immediately we hear from you, be informed that time is very important in this transaction.Can we take up this project together, kindly ask for more details by contacting us through this email :(richard.drphilip@yahoo.com) but let truthfulness and confidentiality be our watch word. Best regards,Dr. Philip Richard
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam