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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "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)
  • "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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • chang_fax@yahoo.co.jp

Fraud email example:

From: Chang Lu <cha_lu122@msn.com>
Reply-To: <chang_fax@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2009 05:02:36 +0000
Subject: Dear Sir/ Madan



Dear Sir/ Madan


Am Mr. Chang Lu from wuhan-China the regional manager of one of the HSBC Bank in China, Wuhan branch, I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and me, as regional manger of HSBC it is my duty to send auditing report to our bank head office in the capital city Beijing at the end of each business year. On the course of last year (2008) business report. I discover that my branch in which I am the manager made excess gain of Five million, three hundred thousand united state dollars (US$5,300,000.00) which our bank head office is not aware of and will never be aware of.


Further more in my private investigation before contacting you I discovered that this money supposed to belong to a Late Russia business man over a decade and left china Long time ago, the fund was placed in what we called Escrow Account, an account without any beneficiary information. Therefore as an official in our bank I can not directly have access to this money.


So my aim of contacting you is to seek for your partnership to assist me receive this money with your bank account and get 30% of the total fund as commission for your sympathetic and co-operation. Lastly, it is strictly bank to bank transaction without traveling to any where all I need from you is to stand claim as the depositor and title holder of this money who made the deposit with my branch where am the manager so that our head office can release the money to your bank account.


I will be very grateful if you accept to team up with me.

Regards,

Mr. Chang Lu
Email: chang_fax@yahoo.co.jp

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam