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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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:
  • "necessary legal documents" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "huge deposit" (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.

Fraud email example:

From: "Martins Bryan" <bryanmartins@mailbox.hu>
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 19:44:07 -0700
Subject: Your Assistance


Hello

Compliment of the season to you and your family. Please reconfirm the
receipt of this email because this is the third time I am sending this email
to you. I am making this contact to you on the fact that we may be of
assistance to each other in developing a long lasting cordial business
relationship if you put your trust in God this will definitely work out for
the benefit of my own family and yours. I was moved by my personal
inspiration to entrust on your sincerity to handle this business.

I am Bryan Martins I had a client a foreigner who used to work with Sacyr
Vallehermoso SA in Madrid Spain. On the 11th March 2004 my client his wife
and their three children were killed in the terrorist blast in Madrid
Spain. Please visit the link to enable you understand better:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3500452.stm

Since then I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my
client's extended relatives this has also proved unsuccessful.

After these several unsuccessful attempts I decided to trace his relatives
over the internet to locate any member of his family but of no avail hence I
contacted you.

I have contacted you to assist me in repatriating the money left behind by
my client before they got confiscated or declared unserviceable by the
Finance House where these huge deposits were lodged. Particularly the
Finance House where the deceased had an account valued at about US$6.5M has
issued me a notice to provide the next-of-kin or have the account
confiscated within the next ten official working days. Since I have been
unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 11 months now I seek your
consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased so that the
proceeds of this account valued at US$6.5M can be paid to you and then you
and I can share the money; 50% to me and 50% to you I have all necessary
legal documents that can be used to back up any claim we may make all I
require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this transaction
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Yours Sincerely

Bryan Martins

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam