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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.

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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:
  • "million us 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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "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)
  • "transaction is risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "DR RICHARD MARK" <richard.mrks10@gmail.com>
Reply-To: richard.mrk10@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 03:48:39 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: I NEED YOUR URGENT REPLY...ASAP




Dearest,

My name is Dr. Richard Mark, Director of the Auditing and Accounting
Department, Foreign Operations Department of a financial institution I
working. I have an urgent and confidential business proposal for you. On
June 6, 1999, an American oil consultant/contractor with (N N P C) Mr.
William Barnes made a 12 months numbered time (fixed) deposit worth
US$36.000.000.00 (Thirty six Million US Dollars) with my bank.

This deposit was to secure the American contractor's bid for the job of
constructing a pipeline from Nigeria to the Republic of Ghana to supply
oil and gas around the West African Sub Region. On maturity, I sent a
routine notification to his forwarded address but got no reply.

After months we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his
contract employee (N N P C) that Mr. William Barnes was involved in a
plane crash with Egyptian Airline 990 as you can see From the website
below;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/world/americas/502503.stm

I therefore made some investigations and discovered that Late Mr.
William Barnes did not declare any next of kin or relations in all his
official documents including his deposit document in my bank. The total
sum of
US$36,000,000.00 is still in my bank as dormant acct. No one has ever come
forward to claim it, for according to our banking law, after 10 (ten)
years, the money will revert to the ownership of the Government.

If the account owner is certified death and nobody comes forward to claim
it. This is the situation, and my proposal is that I am asking for your
assistance to stand in as the beneficiary to Late Mr. William Barnes, for
us to transfer the money. All you have to do is agree to work with me in
this transfer. The money will be transferred into your designated account.
After the transfer, I will visit your country for disbursement in the
ratio of 30% (thirty percent) for you, 5% (five percent) will be used to
cover any contingency expense, 5% (five percent) will be donated to
charity, and the rest will be for me. You do not need to worry; its risk
free and I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
Arrangement that will protect
you from any breach of the Law.

I will use my position and connection in the bank here to do all the
documentation work for the transaction. This transaction is risk free
guaranteed. If you are interested, please reply confidentiality and be
rest
assured that this transaction could be most profitable for both of us.
This transaction requires utmost confidentiality and secrecy.

Best regards,

Dr. Richard Mark
Audit and Account Department

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam