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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united state 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)
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Desmond Etzel" <desmond004@gala.net>
Reply-To: princessbolkiah001@gamil.com
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:57:17 +0100
Subject: ENGAGING YOUR SERVICE


From; Mr.Desmond Etzel.
International Commercial Bank (I.C.B)
Kaneshie Branch, Accra-Ghana.
West Africa.


Dear Friend.


I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we never met
before.I am a staff of International Commercial Bank Ghana, in the
file/computer department,I got your contact through Internet business
proposal so I decide to contact you on this business opportunity.
I hoped that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that i
am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families. i
need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of ($10.6M) million
united state dollars,Immediately to your account. the money has been
dormant (in-active) for 7 years in our bank here without any body coming for
it. I want to release the fund to you as the nearest person to our deceased
customer (the owner of the account) who died along with his supposed next of
kin in air crash since December 2003.


I don't want the fund to go into our bank treasury as an abandoned fund, so
this is the reason why i contacted you, so that my bank will release the
fund to you as the nearest person to the deceased customer. Please i would
like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete it if you are not
interested.Upon receipt of your reply, i will send you the application form
which you will send to our bank as the next of kin and also note that you
will have 40% of the above mentioned amount if you agree to help me execute
this business. While %60 is for me.


The transfer is risk free on both sides hence you are going to follow my
instruction till the fund transfer to your account. More details information
with the text of application form will be forwarded to you to breakdown
explaining comprehensively what require of you.


Thanks and waiting for your urgent response,

Best regards
Desmond Etzel

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam