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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "fiduciary agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
  • "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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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.
  
• 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.
  • stellasig1991@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Stella Sigcau" <stellasig3@telegraf.by>
Reply-To: stellasigcau2006@myway.com
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 04:26:23 -0700
Subject: Greetings From Stella


*Hello Dear,

I am Stella Sigcau, Am a citizen of Sierra-Leon but, was brought up
in Zimbabwe.

My Father was a gold merchant and a farmer, he was killed by president
Robert
Mugabe because of his support to the rival party. He left some amount of
money ($85,000,000.00 Eighty Five Million United States Dollars) as an
inheritance for me in an escrow account, in a bank in Monaco.

I want to know if you can assist me invest the funds. As soon as i receive
your acceptance, i will send you my birth certificate and my international
passport by attachment and thereafter, A change of ownership will be done in
your favour, for you to have total control of the funds. All I want you to
do is,

(1) To provide a new bank account in where this money
would be transferred into.
(2) To serve as a guardian of this fund since I am
only 22 years old.
(3) To make arrangement for me to come over to your
country to further my education and to secure a
resident permit in your country.

as soon as you agree to invest the funds for me,
the fiduciary agent to the bank will contact you
for more update on how this funds can be able to transfer to your account.

Further details relating to this will be communicated to you immediately
I hear from you.Remember to include your complete contact, Direct Phone
Line,phone/fax numbers for an easy and confidential communication. Please
contact me on my private email address, stellasig1991@myway.com

Sincerely.

Stella Sigcau
*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam