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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
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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:

• 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:
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "i have a new email address!" (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • alphonsoonyema@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: alphonsoimf1@yahoo.it
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:59:16 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Urgent business Proposal


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: alphonsoonyema@yahoo.com



- Attn Please,I am Mr Alphonso Onyema, the manager bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of Diamond Bank, In my department i discovered an abandoned sum of ($20.5m US dollars) (Twenty Million five hundred thousand US Dollars only) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer, who died along with his entire family on December 10,2006, in plane crash with Airbus A320 Plane.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm.Since i got information about his death, i have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because i can not release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the decease as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws, but unfortunately i learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died along side with him at the plane clash leaving no body behind for the claim.It is therefore upon this discovery that I and other officials in my department now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the decease for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and i don’t want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.The banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after Two years, the money will be transferred into the bank treasure as unclaimed fund. The request of a foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a (Nigerian) cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.We agree that 40% of this money will be for you as a foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% will be for me and my colleagues. There after I and my colleagues will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated.I will not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.Please you should reply immediately as soon as you receive this letter for more explanation.Yours faithfully,MR ALPHONSO ONYEMA

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam