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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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:
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "account opening form" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +2348063727366 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • efe.williams@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "williams efe" <efeline4@mailbox.hu>
Reply-To: efe.williams@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 02:47:01 -0700
Subject: PLEASE REPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE


FROM MR.WILLIAMS EFE.
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT
First City Monument Bank PLC
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
TELEPHONE +2348063727366.

I am highly delighted to be in contact with you and sorry for the
embarrassment this mail might be to you as we have not met or known each
other before.

Firstly,Let me introduce myself. My name is Mr. Williams Eke, I am the
auditing and accounting officer of First City Monument Bank PLC .I got your
contact over the Internet in my search for the relatives of one of our
numerous customers who died alongside with his family in an air crash.
During the routine check in my branch, I discovered an abandoned sum of
Twelve million Five hundred united states dollars,(USD$12.5m). in an account
belonging to an expatriate customer Mr.Lynn Roy, a mining
consultant/contractor with one of the leading oil company in Federal
Republic of Nigeria before his accidental death on Saturday 4Th May 2002 in
Nigeria via the ill-fated EAS Airline crash.

Ever since then, valuable efforts have been made to get to his people but to
no avail, as he had no known relatives and more so, he used his wife's name
as his next of kin in his account opening forms. I have been expecting his
relatives to come over to claim his money as it cannot be claimed unless
somebody applies officially for it as his next of kin as indicated in our
banking guide but no avail. Unfortunately, I discovered that his supposed
next of kin (his wife and children) died with him over the plane crash
incident.

Over the years, I decided to look for the necessary papers relating to the
deposit in order to make business out of it as the deposit was made in my
branch. Now that all papers are ready, I am asking for your assistant to
release the money to you as his relation/next of kin for safekeeping and
subsequent disbursement. I know that a transaction of this magnitude will
make any one apprehensive but I am assuring you of the Security of us all as
modalities have been perfected for a swift and smooth operation.

You are being contacted because Since nobody showed up for his money and I
don't want it to go back into Federal Republic Of Nigeria account as
unclaimed bill when the next audit is conducted. The banking law and
guideline here stipulates that such money if remain unclaimed, will be
transferred into banking treasury as unclaimed effect. The request of a
foreigner to act as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact
that the customer was a foreigner and a citizen of Federal Republic Of
Nigeria cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner. I am ready to negotiate
the mode of sharing with you. I will visit your country for the
disbursement/investing of my share according to the percentages we shall
agree upon after the successful transfer of the money to your account. I
will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is 100%
hitch-free and that there is absolutely no risk in it, having concluded the
modalities for a smooth operation and my position in the bank guarantees its
successful execution.

All I require is your honest co-operation, a guarantee of your sincerity and
capability to enable us conclude this deal. Note however that the sensitive
nature of this transaction demands that you have to keep it absolutely
confidential. Please accept my apologies, keep my confidence and disregard
this letter if you do not appreciate this proposition.

Thank you very much for your time.
Trusting to hear from you immediately,

Best regards,
Mr.Williams EFE
PLEASE REPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO MY PERSONAL E-MAIL (
efe.williams@hotmail.com)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam