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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)
  • ",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)
  • "headquater" (this email uses bad English)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +22997573839 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: bureau_hudson@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:28:54 +0000
Subject: Reply



From: Mr. John Hudson,
Operations Manager
BANQUE ATLANTIQUE Benin.
Tel: 00229 97573839

Dear Friend,

Please in the name of God i ask for your little time to read this
message carefully to the excellency of our mutual benefit. This is not
one of those letters or stories out there that everybody know as joke.
I am very serious and this money is my only hope of survival now and
it is the future of my family. So please read this email very gently
and quietly tell me what you think,if we can transact it together or
not. And please after reading if it does not interest you please
kindly delete the mail and keep the secret of what you red within you.

My name is JOHN HUDSON, I am the operations manager of BANQUE
ATLANTIQUE Benin Cotonou headquaters Republic of Benin. I got your
information when i was searching for an oversea partner among other
names. I write you this proposal in good faith; I am 52 years old an
Ethiopian white based inBenin Republic, married with two lovely kids.

I have a very important business which i would like to execut with you
which involves some reasonable amount of cash, i have packaged a
financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the OPS manager
in this bank it is my duty to send in a financial report to my headmen
office in Potonovo at the end of each business year. On the course of
the last year 2007 business report, I discovered that we made Three
Million Five Hundred Thousand British Pounds (3.5,000,000.00)GBPS)
which my head office and no single staff are not aware of and will
never be aware of since i have wisely arranged and blinded the files.
I have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account with no
beneficiary.


As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this
money, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money
in your bank account and get 30% of the total funds as commission.
There arepractically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank
transfer, and all I need from you is to stand claim as the original
depositor of these funds who made the deposit with my branch so that
my head office can order the transfer to your designated bank account.

If you accept to work with me I will appreciate it very much. Email me
with the email address so that we can go over the details and i will
give you my full informations and relay to you more information onthe
money and explain to you how we should start the claim. Remember there
is no risk involved i promise.

Thank you in advance and May God bless you and your family.
Yours truly

John HUDSON
Operations Manager
BANQUE ATLANTIQUE Benin

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam