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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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)
  • "confidentiality of this transaction" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "very confidential" (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 email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: =?utf-8?q?Suha=20Arafat?= <arafatsuha18@yahoo.com.co>
Reply-To: suhaarafat2009@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:50:21 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Please Respond To This Letter As Soon As.


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:arafatsuha18@yahoo.com.co



- Dear Friend,I am MRS. SUHA ARAFAT, the wife of late YASSER ARAFAT, the Palestinian leader who died on November 11, 2004 in Paris . Since his death and even prior to the announcement, I have been thrown into a state of antagonism, confusion, humiliation, frustration and hopelessness by the present leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the new Prime Minister. I have even been subjected to physical and psychological torture. As a widow that is so traumatized, I have lost confidence with everybody in the country at the moment, and for this reason I and my only daughter had to flee to Tunisia to live. I had been living in Tunisia ever since my husband died in 2004 until recently I was expulsed from the country over some political and controversial issues which also resulted in confiscation of all my assets and business investments and frozen of my bank accounts. I knew it was a plot and perfected arrangement from the presidency to push me out of a large business cartel I am in control of in Tunisia. Well I am not surprise of this development, although I have relocated to Valletta Malta where I am presently residing to begin a new life with my only daughter. Please I am writing you this email with a heart full of pains and sorrow, and for the reasons of all I have stated above, I would want you to treat this email and its content very confidential and under no circumstances would you disclose this to anyone. And I also want to inform you that I have been under security surveillances by the Palestinian Government since after the death of my husband because of some undisclosable bank accounts of my late husband which he made me the beneficiary. It is based on this fact that I am asking for your total confidentiality of this transaction. Therefore the basis of my email to you was to seek your consent, assistance and cooperation to re-profile ownership of this fund in the secrete account into your name so that it would not be traced to my late husband name and my name; otherwise it would be confiscated by the Palestinian Government. In this regard and based on my nomination of you as my trustee, you would have to make an application on my behalf to the bank for change of ownership of this account into your name to enable you wire out the funds from this bank to another bank of your choice that you considered safe and low tax. For security reasons I would not disclose the name of the bank and the amount involved until you in good faith agreed to consent to work with me. I plead for your acceptance of my offer for a 40% sharing of the total funds to you. If you agreed and accept my proposal in good faith, please send me your full details as follows; your Name, Address, Phone and Fax number and your international passport OR Drivers license identification for this preliminary stage of introduction of you to the bank. But in case you don't accept my offer, please do not let me out to the security and international media as I am giving you this information in total trust and confidence. I wait for your urgent response!! Thanks for your anticipated cooperation!!Yours truly,Mrs. Suha.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam