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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
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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:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "observe utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • +23418759890 (Nigeria, landline)

Fraud email example:

From: "Hope waddell (Jnr)" <hope_waddell4@gazeta.pl>
Reply-To: hope_waddell@myway.com
Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:24:05 -0700
Subject: Re: Call me as soon as you read this mail.


*Unity Bank Plc.
No. 42, Oba Akran Avenue
P.O. Box 1665 Ikeja, Lagos
Tel: 234 1 8759890
Fax: 234 1 5559361
Date: 28-06-08*

From the desk of:
*Dr. Hope Waddell* (Jnr)
Accounts and Audit Department

Hello my friend,

I am the director of Accounts and Audit Department of Unity Bank Plc. I
decided to contact you after a careful thought that you may be capable of
handling this business transaction which I explained below;

In my department we discovered a floating sum of *Six million, five hundred
thousand u.s. dollars ($6,500 000.00)* in a dormicilary account that belongs
to one of our foreign investor/Contractor (late Mr. Dasne Minnelli Miguez)
who died along with his entire family in 2002 in a plane crash. Since we got
information about his death, we have been expecting any of his family member
to come-up and claim this executed contract payment because the Unity Bank
Plc cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as a next of kin or
business associate to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.

But unfortunately, we learnt from our records that his supposed next of kin,
his son and wife died alongside with him in the plane crash leaving nobody
behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this subject that I and other
director who knew about this matter concealed our finding and decided to
make this business proposal to you. We want to present you to our Bank as a
Business associate and next of kin to *(late Mr. Dasne Minnelli
Miguez),*so that the proceeds of this contract payment fund valued
*(US$6,500 000.00) *will be paid to you as the next of kin to our late
foreign contractor, and more-over nobody is coming for it and we don't want
this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

In the light of the above, Please click and read the undermentioned BBC and
CNN news archive respectively >

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1968300.stm
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/05/05/nigeria.crash/

Our banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained
un-claimed after seven years, the money will be reverted into the bank
treasury as unclaimed floating fund. The request of you to stand as a
relation and next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that
late Mr. Dasne Minnelli Miguez was a foreigner and a Nigerian cannot stand
as next of kin to a foreigner .

Note that this money will be paid to you as the next of kin to our late
customer. Then thereafter the transfer, we share it in the ratio of
*60%*for us,
*35%* for you. While the remaining* 5%* will be used to defray all the
expenses that we may likely incurre during the course of this transaction.

*1.* I will like you to provide me immediately with your full names and
address
*2.* Your telephone and mobile phone numbers where I can always reach you
for any update.

There is no risk at all because I have all the contract document details as
contained in his payment file now in my custody, which will facilitate and
guarantee the successful execution of this transaction such like his
Contract award certificate and Contract executed completion certificate.

Please observe utmost confidentiality, and be rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us.

If you are interested, please call me immediately on my mobile# *234 1
8759890.*

Yours faithfully,

*Dr. Hope Waddell (Jnr)*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam