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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: "Barry Benson" <aol123@telegraf.by>
Reply-To: barrybenson556@live.com
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 09:08:22 -0500
Subject: Opportunity.


Mr. Barry Benson
Permanent Tsb
56/59 St. Stephen Green, Dublin
Confidential Tel: +871-764107753
Confidential Fax: +871-764107751
Email: barrybenson556@aol.co.uk

Hello,

I am contacting you on a business transaction of a huge sum of money
from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this
magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am
assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day.
we decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

We discovered an abandoned sum of (Twenty seven million five hundred
thousand United States dollars) in an account that belongs to one of
our foreign customer who died along with his entire family. Since his
death, none of His next-of-kin or relations has come forward to lay
claims for this money as the heir.

We cannot release the funds from His account unless someone applies for
claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking
guidelines. Upon this discovery, we now seek your permission to have
you stand as a next of kin to the deceased as all documentations
will be carefully worked out by us for the funds (Twenty seven million
five hundred thousand United States dollars) to be released in your favor
as the beneficiary's next of kin. It may interest you to know that we
have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of
the deceased beneficiaries.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of
our mutual business endeavor by furnishing me with the
following;

1. Beneficiary name and address.
2. Direct telephone and fax numbers.

These requirements will enable us file letter of claim to the
appropriate departments for necessary approvals in your favor before
the transfer can be made. We shall be compensating you with thirty percent
of the total funds, on final conclusion of this project, while the rest
shall be for us. Your share stays while the rest shall be for us for
investment purposes. If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take
undue
advantage of the trust we have bestowed in you.

NB: If you are willing to assist me, including the information's i have
requested from you, call me on my confidential tel: +871-764107753 for
further details and discussions on what to do next.

Note: Please reply to: barrybenson556@aol.co.uk

I await your call.

Best regards,
Mr. Barry Benson.
Confidential Tel: +871-764107753
Confidential Fax: +871-764107751

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