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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "necessary legal documents" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "million united states 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)
  • "% will be for you" (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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: informationcenter1111@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:06:53 +0530 (IST)
Subject: REPLY


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: ericemmanuel_information1@yahoo.in



- Dear Sir/madam,Please kindly accept my apology for sending unsolicited mail to you. I believe you are a highly respected personality, considering the fact that I sourced your profile from a human resource profile database on your country. Though,I do not know to what extent you are familiar with events.Well, I am Barrister Eric Emmanuel, a Solicitor. I am the PersonalAttorney to Mr. Steve Anderson , who used to work with Agip Oil Companyin Nigeria. On the 21st of April 2005, his wife and their three childrenwere involved in a car accident along Abuja Express Road.Unfortunately, they all lost their lives in the event of the accident. Sincethen I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my client\'srelatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessfulattempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to locate anymember of his family but to no avail, hence,I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money left behind b!
y my client in a Finance Company.Company. Particularly, the Finance House where the deceased deposited the US$15 Million (Fifteen Million United States Dollars only).Consequently, this Finance House issued me a notice to provide the Next of Kin to claim the US$15 Million (Fifteen Million United States Dollarsonly) in their custody within the next ten official working days. SinceI have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 2 years now,Iseek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased to claim the fund as the Next of Kin to him so that the fund will be transferredto your account by the Finance House.Upon receipt of the fund, I will come over to your country to meet with you for the disbursement of the fund and then you and I will share the money in this order: 70% will be for me, 30% will be for you. I have all the necessary legal documents that can back our claim we will make with the Finance House. All I require is your honest co-operation !
to enable usseeing this deal through. I guarantee that this will be ex
ecuted under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. I await an urgent attention to my mail please.Reply on my alternative email addreses below informationcenter3333@gmail.comBest regards.Eric Emmanuel,Principal Attorney

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam