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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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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:
  • "a security company " (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. )
  • "huge amount 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)
  • "the consignment" (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)
  • "trunk box" (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)
  • "trunk boxes" (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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "Col. Fidel Boro" <col.fidelboro28@msn.com>
Reply-To: <fidelboro2009@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:04:44 +0000
Subject: READ AND GET BACK TO ME




Hello

My name is Col. Fidel Boro {Rtd.} from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was the ADC to the former president of my country, Late President Mubutu Seseseco. Shortly before he was assassinated in a coup that ushered in President Lawrent Kabila as the president of the country, a huge amount of money in foreign currency was disbursed as security vote for the upkeep of soldiers in the battle field but was not spent following his death. This money was kept in one of my boss's secrete messes unknown to anybody else except him and myself alone.

Also in this secrete mess was a trunk box containing bags of pure gold that weighted 350kg. So after his assassination, I concealed the money in two big metallic trunk boxes. I moved the trunk box containing the gold to a security company in Ghana and the two trunk boxes containing the money to another security company in Nigeria through a diplomatic means available to me at that time after which I fled the country for fear of not been assassinated as well. Since then I have been in what could be rightly called a political exile in Nigeria. I have no intention of investing the money in this country or anywhere in Africa because of the unstable nature of African polity. Rather I want to invest the money in places like America, Asia or Europe that are to a large extent, politically stable.

I am therefore soliciting for your assistance to receive the three consignments on my behalf from the security companies and hold them in trust for me until I arrive physically in your country for the investment of the money. I am willing to give you 20% of the total value of the three consignments if you can do this for me. Please get back to me immediately if you are interested in helping me to enable me intimate you further on how I have planned to move the consignments to you.

God bless you.

Fidel Boro

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam