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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: Dr Martins umeh <martins4567@live.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:56:08 -0400
Subject: RE: PAYMENT NOTIFICATION OF OLD CONTRACT/INHERITANCE ARREARS.

 

PAYMENT NOTIFICATION
Foreign Operation Dept
Tinubu sQuare Lagos
TEL:+234-8032354131
Email:martins_00091@yahoo.com.co
Our ref CBN/TD/0021/069
Attn:

RE: PAYMENT NOTIFICATION OF OLD CONTRACT/INHERITANCE ARREARS.

We have the pleasure to inform you of an approval obtained from the new President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yaradua. The Senate Committee on Contract/Inheritance Payments to pay the entire amount owed and due to you in settlement of fund.

We have noted with concern the wrongful withholding of your long overdue payment by a syndicate of corrupt public officers who made several unsuccessful attempts to divert your funds into their corrupt private accounts overseas. This discovery was made recently by a report submitted to my office by the President and the Senate Committee for the Review of
Foreign Debts.

Based on this approval, we have already credited the entire sum in you favour through our overseas paying bank, Please, kindly reconfirm your details and the Receiving Bank details to confirm with what we have in our records to avoid wrongful diversion.

On behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we regret all financial losses you may have incurred in the past as a result of official misconduct and we wish to record here our appreciation for the great patience exhibited by you and members of your company in waiting for this payment.

Congratulations!

Yours truly,
DR MARTINS UMEH
CONTROLLER TREASURY BOARD.
Foreign Operation Dept/Treasury (CBN).
NOTE: That we have made the lodgement of your funds in our overseas correspondence company's account with the HSBC bank in London for onward transfer to you.

Anti-fraud resources: