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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "may come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "the consignment" (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)
  • "trunk box" (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)
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • mckoffi@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Martins Duke" <brasiliape@dfa.gov.ph>
Reply-To: mckoffi@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:05:47 -0000
Subject: VERY IMPORTANT LETTER



--
FROM THE DESK OF MARTINS DUKE:
102 Eaton Square
London, England
SW1 W9AN
E-mail: mckoffi@hotmail.com

Dear friend,

I know this mail may come to you as a surprise, I got your email address
through the web while in search of who will carefully handle this urgent and
hitch free deal.

I am Martins Duke, a security manager with ROYAL TRUST & SECURITIES LIMITED,
London. I am contacting you based on trust and confidentiality that will be
attached to this deal. The Management and the Legal department of our company
(RTSL) in a recent meeting recommended that one of my branch depositor
(customer) consignment be declared dormant and confisticated, the deposited
Consignment to the Government Treasury according to Biritsh security and
Financial law. He is a foreigner (USA) based here (London), unfortunately he
is late.

Mr.John Shumedja died in their private jet when flying back to USA after
AGCO meeting at coventry in London and i will like to directe you to this
site for more information about this crash.
http://www.cwn.org.uk/business/a-z/a/agco/2002/01/020104-air-crash.htm

He is the consignment holder in my branch, he owns a trunk box with the sum of
Twenty One million five hundred thousand united state dollars ($21.500,000.00)
deposited in our branch. In fact it happened that since his death, the next of
kin of the consignment holder(the relations) has not show up for the claim and
since then nobody has come up to make claim or to say he know anything about
the deceased except the attorney.

To cut the matter short, the attorney has no contact of any of the deceased
relations. This is where I am interested on and this is where I want you to
come in. I want you to come in as the relation of the deceased, I will give
you the contact of the attorney for you to contact as the relation to the
decased (Mr.John Shumedja), you will have to write to him tell him you are a
relation to the deceased and that you have found out that Your uncle has
consignment deposited with RTSL which you wants to lay claim through his
legal authority. He is going to be happy to assist you. I will be the one to
provide the vital documents for the claims of the money.

Please include your telephone number when replying this mail and I will give
you more information as soon as you indicate your willingness to assist in
this transaction. After successful conclussion of this transaction we shall
share the money 50/50%. after payable expenses we will incur during the
tranaction.

Yours truly,
Martins Duke

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam