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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:
  • "transfer into your account" (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)
  • "million us 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)
  • "foreign payment department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "nigeria national petroleum corporation" (the name of a person or institution often appearing 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.
  • douglasonos1910@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "douglas onome" <douglasonome16@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 20:49:05 +0100
Subject: Please Reply,


Sir

I am Mr.Douglas Onome the Director of finance in the foreign payment
department of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). I am
writing to intimate you with a business which needs a foreign Company's
assistance to execute.


In my department, we have US$30m (thirty Million US Dollars Only) over
invoice bill after auditing. This money arose from deliberate over-invoiced
bill which we added during last, Obasanjo's regime to a foreign Company.
Now, the government in power has directed that all contracts duly completed
during and after the last regime be paid in this second quarter of the
financial fiscal year 2008.


It is this remaining over-value sum as above, that I and other official in
the various Department of the ministry have now decided to transfer into
your account for safety, and subsequently disburse in the percentage as
follows:20% for you, the account owner, 70% for us the partners in Nigeria
and 10% for taxation and any expenses that might be incured during the
course of this transaction.


After the transaction three officials will be coming to your country to take
care of our own fund. 2. Note you are expected to maintain confidentiality
of the project that we have, as we have putting in many years of meticulous
services to the government with maturity, top most secrecy and urgency,
please reply urgently through email for intact receiving.
douglasonos1910@yahoo.com


Thank you very much for your anticipated co-operation.


Yours sincerely,

Mr Douglas Onome.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam