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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:
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "dormant account" (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.

Fraud email example:

From: "ousman diop" <ousman1943ty@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ousman1944@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 04:45:19 +0100
Subject: Salam alaikum,


Salam alaikum,

I am pleased to introduce a business opportunity to transfer to your
overseas account the sum of Ten Million Five hundred Thousand United States
Dollars ($10.5USD) from one of the Prime Banks here in Republic of Benin.

I am Mr ousman Diop(Bsc,Msc)the Head of Audit of a prime banks here in
Republic of Benin,during the course of our auditing,I discovered a dormant
account opened in our bank since 2003 and till date no body has operated on
the account. After going through old files in our records,I discovered that
the owner of the account died long ago in a plane crash along with his
family without leaving a[WILL],hence the account remain dormant, meanwhile
if the fund is not transfered urgently, it will be confisticated and return
to the bank's or our government treasury.

Therefore,with a personal conviction of trust and confidence,I wish to
contact you as a foreigner,to stand as a relative because you share the same
surname with the decease's,thus I can work out the release of the funds.No
other person in the office knows about the account, please be rest assured
of a risk free DEAL. All I need is your total cooperation because the
account content can not be approved to a Republic of Benin indigen as next
of kin.

At the conclusion of this project, I propose a joint investment of an equal
partnership to you or we may share it in a ratio of 40% for you and 60% for
myself. Please don't consider this against moral justification,there are
many other aspects of life we may contribute with this funds to help the
less privileged and the needy in a society than having it shared as an
unclaimed bill among Government PLEASE.

I look forward to your earliest response.

Yours Truly,

Mr ousman Diop.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam