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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "insurance fee " (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. )
  • "clearance certificate" (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. )
  • "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22998267088 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • dhp_delivery@hotmail.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:36:53 +0100
Subject: CONTACT DHP DELIVERY SERVICE NOW!


CONTACT :DHP DELIVERY SERVICE
(HILL & COUNSELORS AT LAW)
06 BP 1409 AKPAKPA DODOMEY
COTONOU REPUBLIC OF BENIN .

Dear Friend,

Greetings to you & your Family.

I have been waiting for you since to contact me for your Confirmable Bank
Draft of ($1.3m) United States Dollars, but I did not hear from you since
that time ,Then I went and deposited the Draft with DHP DELIVERY SERVICE
Cotonou, Benin Republic before I travelled out of the country for a short
Course and i will not come back till end of next Month.What you have to do
now is to contact the :DHP DELIVERY SERVICE as soon as possible to know when
they will deliver your package to you because of the expiring date.

For your information, I have paid for the delivering Charges, Insurance fee
and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not a Drug
Money nor to sponsor Terrorist attack in your Country,The only money you
will send to the Courier & Security Company to deliver your
Draft direct to your postal Address in your country is ($155) only being
their Security Keeping Fees of the Courier Company so far.

Again, Don't deceive by anybody to pay any other money except $155.00,I
would have paid that but they said no because they don't know when you will
contact them and in case of demurrage.You have to contact the :DHP DELIVERY
SERVICE COMPANYnow for the delivery of your Draft with this information
bellow. Director
:DHP DELIVERY COMPANY COTONOU BENIN REPUBLIC
E-mail: (Dhp_delivery@hotmail.fr )
Tel :+229-9826-7088
Registration No: Eg2272
Code Number:01721457

Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your Postal address and Direct
telephone number to them again to avoid any mistake on the Delivery and Let
me repeat again,try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail to
avoid any further delay and remember to pay them their Security
Keeping fee of $155 for their immediate action.You should also Let me know
through email as soon as you receive your Draft.

Note. The :DHP DELIVERY SERVICE don't know the contents of the Box. I
registered it as a Box of an Africa cloths. They don't know it contents
money. this is to avoid them delaying with the Box. don't let them know what
is contains.I am waiting for your urgent response.

Yours Faithfully,
Dr Leo Yayi

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam