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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:
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "inheritance funds" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • ",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 next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • walfred83@aol.com

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr Frank Tony" <drfrankt17@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:02:08 +0100
Subject: Very Important Message


Mail From DR Walfred Mack
Auditor with Allied and Metropolitan Bank London
Contact me here :walfred83@aol.com

Dear Sir,

In order to transfer out (Fifteen Million US Dollars) from our bank here
in London into your own account,my Late client Mr Williams
Barnes, foreigner and the manager of petrol chemical service here in
London, A chemical engineer by proffession who died since
1999 in air crash.

The air crash website is below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/world/americas/502503.stm

The amount involved is (15,000,000.00) United States Dollars which i
happens to be his accountant holding every original documents covering the
money before my client died.It should also interest you to know that my
client Mr William Barnes has not married at the time of the
incident and his parents died in auto-crash when he was much younger.
Nobody knows a tip of this money lying in our
bank.So,i would want to present you as the next of kin to my late client
in order to claim this inheritance funds.

I want to transfer this money into a safe foreign account abroad but I
don't know any foreigner, I know that this message will come to you as a
surprise as we don't know ourselves before, But be sure that it is real
and a genuine business. I believe in God that you will never let
me down in this investment. All i need for now is your full contact
information phone and fax number, Name will be necessary to this effect.
More importantly trust.


Hope to hear from you soonest.

Thanks,

DR Walfred Mack

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam