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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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:
  • "huge sum 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)
  • "million united states 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)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: steve1114@freenet.de
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:41:45 +0100
Subject: Let's do business together


Dear Sir ,

With due respect,and to whom it might concern.I wish this
letter will
not come to you as a surprise.I am Mr.Oscar Stephen the
auditing
director of a Commercial Bank here in Lagos.
We had a foreign
customer who deposited a huge sum of money
(US$8.5Million United States
Dollars Only) with our bank.
Eventually,this customer was amongst the
victims of the fatal car
accident that claimed over 70 lives along
Shagamu/Ikorodu Expressway on
the 12-02-1999 in Lagos and since then, we
have not had anybody coming
for the deceased funds/estate as the next of
kin, and I have been
monitoring this account with my position here in
the bank for the past
years.
However from the information that I have
gathered, the deceased died
along side with the wife and a supposed next
of kin which is their only
son, hence nobody has showed up as the next
of kin for the pas t years
and now.
In view of this, I write to solicit
for your assistance to present you
as the next of kin as every other
arrangement has been concluded by me
and I am only waiting for a
foreigner to enable me move the fund to
his/her account for our mutual
benefit. This does not have any risk
attached to it as all his secret
information that will be required from
you by the bank is with me right
now over here.
I therefore request you to confirm your interest by a
return message
and I will furnish you with details on how to proceed to
the bank for
the claim. Your interest will be negotiable before we
commence the
operation and upon conclusion of the transaction, I wil l
be flying
over
to meet you for disbursement of the fund and investment
in your
country.
I look forward to hear from you so as to enble us
forge ahead to achive
this mutual benefit.

Best Regards.
Oscar
Stephen
Please reply me back with this email address if you are
intrested to
assist( oscarsteves@aol.fr )

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam