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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• 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:
  • "might come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million pounds" (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)
  • ",500,000" (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)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • david_johanson21@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr .David Johanson" <david_johanson21@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:32:45 -0400
Subject: next of Kin .

Hsbc Bank Plc
Main Street
Hawes DL8 3QN , London
Banks & Financial Institutions

This mail might come to you as a surprise and the temptation to ignore it as
serious could come into your mind but please consider it with a divine wish and
accept it with a deep sense of humility. Before proceeding, I wish to introduce
myself to you; I am David Johanson a staff of Hsbc Bank plc London. I am the head
of the accounts department.I am pleased to get across to you for a very urgent and
profitable business proposal which I believe will profit the both of us after
completion. I contacted you after a careful thought that you might be capable of
handling this business transaction, which i explained below. The sum of (
£18,500,000.00 Million Pounds), has been floating as unclaimed since 2000 in my
bank as all efforts to get across the relatives of our client who deposited the
money have hit the stones.

All attempts to trace his next of kin were fruitless. My position here at my
office requires me to investigate and I therefore made further investigations and
discovered that Late Mrs. Allyson Aloysius, did not declare any next of kin or
relation in all his official documents, including his bank deposit paperwork in my
bank.According to the British Law. The money will revert to the ownership of the
British government if nobody applies to claim the fund. To avoid this money being
sent to the British treasury as unclaimed funds, I have decided to seek your
assistance to have you stand as his next of kin so that the said fund ( £
18,500,000.00 million pounds), would be released in your name as the next of kin
and paid into your account.

All documents and proof that will have you claim this fund will be forwarded to
you without any stress upon your response to this mail more soon, i want to inform
you that i have unanimously agreed to offer you (£6m) of the total sum for the
assistance and role you are going to play in this transaction,(£4m)will be given
to charity organisations in your country with your supervision while the remaining
will be for me. Please send your confidential telephone and fax number in your
reply to this business transaction.PLEASE CHANNEL YOUR RESPONSE TO :
david_johanson21@hotmail.com

Kind Regards,
Mr.David Johanson
ACCOUNTS OFFICER .

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam