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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:
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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)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "observe utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "this business is hitch free " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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.

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: ibrahimmohammed111@yahoo.fr
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:29:49 +0000
Subject: FROM THE DESK OF Mr IBRAHIM MOHAMMED


FROM THE DESK OF Mr IBRAHIM MOHAMMED
BILLS AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A)
OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO.
My Cell Phone Number: 00226-78 17 37 89.

Dear Friend,
CONFIDENTIAL
I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we have never met
before, but need not to worry as I am using the only secured and
confidential medium available to seek for your foreign assistance in a
business. I am contacting you independently of my investigation and no one
is informed of this communication.My name is Mr IBRAHIM MOHAMMED Iam the
bill and exchange manager in Bank Africa I Hoped that you will not expose or
betray this trust and confident that I am about to repose on you for the
mutual benefit of our both families.
I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of our Bank who perished along
with his next of kin with Korean Air Line, flight number 801 with the whole
passengers on 6th of augustus 1997 and for your perusal you can view this
site http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list
Since the demise of this our customer, I personally has watched with keen
interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one has
come to claim his funds of US$8.3M (Eight Million Three Hundred Thoudsand
United States Dollars) which has been with our branch for a very longtime.

On this note, I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the Next
of Kin since nobody is coming for the fund again. The Banking ethics here
does not allow such money to stay more than 11 years, because the money will
be recalled to the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund after this period.

In view of this I got your contact through the internet when I was making a
research for a foreigner that I will use in this great opportunity because I
dont want the money to be recalled to our Bank treasury as uncliamed fund.I
am offering you 40% of the total sum if you agree to execute this
transaction with me and the rest 60% will be for me.The reason for a
foreigner in the business is for the fact that the deceased man was a
foreigner and it is not authorized by the law guiding our Bank for a citizen
of this country to make such claim.

This is the reason while the request of you as a foreigner is necessary to
apply for the release and transfer of the fund smoothly into your reliable
Bank account.If you are really sure of your integerity, trustworthy and
confidentiality, and accept not to cheat or disappoint me after this
business, reply with your telephone and fax numbers and Banking account
details where you wish to receive the fund.Upon receipt of the above
mentioned informations,indicating your interest in the business,

I will draft and send to you by fax or e-mail a letter of application which
you will re-copy and send back to our Foreign Remittance Department in our
Bank, for easy execution of the transaction.I will not fail to bring to your
notice that this business is hitch free and dont have any negative
implication .Please you should not entertain any fear as I have made all
modalities for the smooth and easy transfer of this fund to your account.

This transaction will be completed within 14 Bank working days immediately
we start the business.Please observe utmost confidentiality and be rest
assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us
because I shall require your assistance to invest my share in your country
immediately after the transaction.Waiting for your urgent response and
please kindly delete if you are not interested.Regards,

Mr IBRAHIM

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam