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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
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united states dollars" (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 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: voke_dalon1@sify.com
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:19:38 +0600 (IST)
Subject: RE:reply Voke


Dear Friend,



Good day. My name is Voke, and I am from Sierra-Leone. I am presently living with my mother and younger brother in a refugee camp herein Ghana . My Late father was a Paramount Chief in my village, which is rich with diamonds. I got your contact from a foreign charity aid worker that visited the camp for charity donations but I did not disclose my actual intentions for wanting to contact you.



During the war in my country, my family fled to Ghana a neighboring country to Sierra-Leone. While in Ghana, my mother showed me some documents stating that my father kept the sum of Thirteen Million United States dollars in a bank account herein Ghana, for safe keeping before he passed away. My main reason of reaching you is to help us remove this money from Ghana to your country for investment. Our status as refugees does not permit us to run an account here and we do not want to contact any of my father’s business associates in abroad, because we do not trust any of them.



Please, your assistance is urgently needed so that the Bank where this funds were kept will not declare this funds a Deceased Account Non-Greta, meaning that the Bank has full and legal right to claim the funds. Since the policy of the Bank on Deceased Customer Account is that after 5 years if there is no claim, the Bank will declare the funds unserviceable and will be immediately taken by the bank.



We would be glad if you will get us rest assured that you will not abandon us when the funds gets to you. We also want you to let us know the percentage of the money you will want if you decide to help. If the percentage you wish to deserve is not ideal for us, we can re-negotiate or call it a day. Bye for now and thanks for your time and understanding.



Yours truly,

Voke

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam