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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:

• 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)
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "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)
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • paul.mbeki16@yahoo.com.mx (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Paul=20Mbeki?= <paul.mbeki16@yahoo.com.mx>
Reply-To: paulmbeki@live.com
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:39:24 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re:dear friend


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a: paul.mbeki16@yahoo.com.mx



- From Mr PAUL MBEKI International commercial bank of Ghana West Africa Date: 11-01-2009 Dear Friend My Name is Mr PAUL Mbeki. I am an accounting officer in foreign accounts department in our bank.During our last auditing in our Bank,My Department came across a very huge sum of money (us$9.5 million dollars)Nine million five hundred thousand United state dollars,belonging to a deceased customer of our Bank a Foreigner,who died on 25 December 2003 in plane crash with his entire family and other passengers aboard.Since then I have made several inquiries to foreign embassy here to locate any of our clients extended relatives, this has proved unsuccessful.After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet, to locate any of his family member but of no avail. hence I contacted you for you are a foreigner as our late customer.I need your assistance in evacuation of the funds left behind by our client in the Bank before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Government, because official, financial laws here stipulate it that after five years any fund or assets deposited with bank/security firm without claim or servicing, the money or assets will be divert to central bank of Ghana as unclaimed bill.since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives of this our customer for over 4 years now, I seek your consent to present you to our bank as the next of kin to the deceased since you are a Foreigner so that the proceeds of this deposit valued at $9.5 million dollars can be paid to your account which you are going to provide as we progress in this deal.I will allow you 35% of this fund for your kind assistance and the rest will be for me and my coulegue.As an insider in the bank I have all relivant informations Bank will demand from you to prove you are relation to our late customer.All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this deal through.I guarantee that this business will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.You have to assure me that you will not sit on this fund when it is finally claimed by you.I am expecting your quick response for us to move into action which will be for me to send you application letter that you are going to send to bank for the transfer process to begin.Best regards,PAUL MBEKI

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam