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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:
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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:
  • "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.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "jones okoma" <jonesokoma07@googlemail.com>
Reply-To: jonesokoma@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:02:03 +0100
Subject: GOOD DAY


*Sir
I am Mr. jones okoma. 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)overinvoice 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 last 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:40% for you, the account owner, 50%
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. Thank you very much for your
anticipated co-operation.*

* Yours sincerely,
Mr.jones okoma.
*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam