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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
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• 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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "deadline" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: =?utf-8?q?William=20Richard?= <williamrichardwill5@yahoo.com.ve>
Reply-To: williamrichardwill@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:31:59 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Mutual Trust


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:williamrichardwill5@yahoo.com.ve



- Dear Friend, I am Barrister William Richard, a solicitor at law and personal attorney to Mr. Allen Thomas, who was hereinafter called my client. My deceased client made a deposit in an Escrow call account valued (One Million Seven Hundred Thousand) $1.700, 000.00 Dollars, in finance firm here in Ghana. I have been given deadline mandate by the Bank Management to provide the next of kin/beneficiary to the fund hence failure to provide this; the fund will be confiscated and declared unserviceable by the Bank. With respect to this, I have exhaustively made efforts to locate any relative of my deceased client, which has been fruitless. My purpose of contacting you is to seek your consent and to present you to the bank as the next of kin/beneficiary of my late client’s, which I have, all the necessary documents to back it up as the truth kin/beneficiary. Every aspect of this transaction will be carried out on legal grounds that will protect you from any infringement of the law. Barr. William Richard,

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam