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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "mariam abacha" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • barristermikeanderson@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "mrs mariam abacha" <mariammmmabacha@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 05:44:53 -0700
Subject: Pls read carefully with understanding and secretcy.


Good day,

Hope this mail meet you in good condition,I got your contact through search
of an honest person to entrust this family last hope on,hope you will not
betray us? As you may have heard on the CNN,BBC and other media on how my
husbands money was recovered and we the entire family being molested. I am
Mrs Abacha the wife of the late Gen. Sanni Abacha, former Nigerian Military
Head of State who died mysteriously as a result of cardiac arrest.I am
contacting you through my family friend computer because of the traces going
on withing our family by the government.

Since the death of my husband, our entire family has been under restriction
of movement by successive Governments and we are being molested and
constantly under watch by the security agents. The Nigerian Government has
frozen our discovered Bank accounts here and abroad. Furthermore, my elder
seniors son has been in detention for further interrogation about our family
assets and some vital documents.its quite unfurtunate that our furtune has
made some fraudsers to defraud the innocent one via internet.


Following the recent discovery of my late husband,s bank accounts by the
present Nigerian Government with my eldests son Bank account in which a huge
sum of US$700million and Dutch Mark 450 million was lodged and 1.6 Billion
Pound Sterling belonging to my late husbands was seized by the Nigerian
Government through the co-operation of Western Governments. I therefore wish
to personally appeal to you seriously and religiously for your urgent
assistance to receive the sum of US$84million into your account
confidentially where I believe it will be safe since we can not both leave
the country due to the restriction of movement imposed on the members of my
family but it will be moved instalmentally to you through the diplomatic
means by the security company in Ghana where it is kept for security.

You can contact me on my e-mail address upon receipt of your good response;
I will liaise with you towards effective completion of this transaction with
involvement of our lawyer who will make legal document such as change of
ownership,Before procceeding,an agreement has to be made between you and
this family to avoid anybody sitting on this funds, the lawyer must not be
aware of this agreement because everything must be stated in because this
is our last hope.

Please not that neither the lawyer nor the security company knows the
content of this consignment,the consignment is three (3) contain $28m
dollars each and the lawyer has been going to Ghana to pay the demorage as
"Family Valuable".I will urge you to contact the lawyer for the legal
document to enable you receive this money his contact are: BARRISTER MIKE
ANDERSON ADDRESS: NO. 20 NNPC PIPELINE FAGBA LAGOS STATE,EMAIL:
barristermikeanderson@yahoo.com Do send him your informations to start
proccessing for he is aware that he will be making a change of ownership to
your name.but do not discuss any other matter that dosnt concern his
profession with him.

Conclusively, we have agreed to offer you 15% of the total sum while the 75%
is to be held in trust by you, until we decide on a suitable business
investment in your country as soon as we overcome this ordeal.
Please send to me and lawyer urgently your contact address, telephone and
fax numbers to enable us procceed.

While thanking you for anticipated co-operation, your early response,
absolute confidentiality and sincerity of purpose will be highly
appreciated.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs Mariam Abacha.

Please if you are interested in assisting then contact the lawyer aswell but
if not please keep to yourself the secret you will be compensated after the
transaction GOD BLESS.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam