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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned 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: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:54:24 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Highly confidential mail: Please read and reply urgently

Dear Friend,
How are you doing. I am sorry that I have to write to you this strange mail. I know you dont know me and it is as a result of my searching for a helper on the internet that I came across your e-mail address. I want to trust you and confide in you the purpose of my writing you.

My name is Felix Asamoah. I am a young man aged 20 years. I am writing you from Cote D'ivoire, West Africa. My country is world leading coacoa and gold producer and also ruber and coffee. The problem I have is that I lost my father. Not only that, my father was a trader and he made some wealth.
Some time last year he made a bank deposit of $4,000,000 (four million dollars only) This money was to do a special transaction with his oversea friend. This friend of his I dont know. But emmediately he died, his brother took everything encluding his buildings. He left me without anything except
the bank deposit. He did this based on the fact that my mother is from Liberia and he does not like me.

Please help me so that I can move this fund and move out of this country before he harms me. I promise to transfer it to your account and allow you deduct 20% for yourself.

Please write back and let me have your telephone number.

God bless you,
Felix Asamoah


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam