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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:
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "headquater" (this email uses bad English)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "there are practically no risks involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "cotonou" (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.
  
• 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.
  • hudson.john2008@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "JOHN HUDSON" <johuds@gmail.com>
Reply-To: hudson.john2008@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:17:07 +0100
Subject: DEAR RESPECTFUL.


*DEAR RESPECTFUL.
From: HUDSON JOHN.*
*Email:hudson.john2008@hotmail.com*
*
*** *Dear Friend,*
*
Please in the name of God i ask for your little time to read this message
carefully to the excellency of our mutual benefit. This is not one of those
letters or stories out there that everybody know as joke. I am very serious
and this money is my only hope of survival now and it is the future of my
family. So please read this email very gently and quietly tell me what you
think, if we can transact it together or not. And please after reading, if
it does not interest you please kindly delete the mail and keep the top
secret of what you read within you.

My name is JOHN HUDSON, i am the operations manager of Continental Bank
Benin, Cotonou headquaters Republic of Benin. I got your information when i
was searching for an oversea partner among other names. I write you this
proposal in good faith; I am 52 years old an Ethiopian white based in Benin
Republic, married with two lovely kids.

I have a very important business which i would like to execut with you which
involves some reasonable amount of cash, i have packaged a financial
transaction that will benefit you and I, as the OPS manager in this bank it
is my duty to send in a financial report to my headmen office in Potonovo at
the end of each business year. On the course of the last year 2006 business
report, I discovered that we made three million five hundred thousand pounds
(3.5m)GBPS) which my head office and no single staff are not aware of and
willnever be aware of since i have wisely arranged and blinded the files. I
have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account with no
beneficiary.

As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money, so
my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank
account and get 30% of the total funds as commission.

There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank transfer,
and all I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of these
funds who made the deposit with my branch so that my head office can order
the transfer to your designated bank account.

If you accept to work with me I will appreciate it very much email me back
through my private email address (hudson.john2008@hotmail.com) so that we
can go over the details and i will give you my full informations and relay
to you more information onthe money and explain to you how we should start
the claim. Remember there is no risk involved i promise.

Thank you in advance and May God bless you and your family.

Yours truly,*
** ** *John HUDSON.*
*Operations Manager.*
*Continental Bank Benin.*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam