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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: "British Foreign and Commonwealth Office,FCO. London" <dwmfcogov@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 11:44:36 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Attention Executive : Business Investment Proposition


Attention Executive,




 









 




Attached file is urgent and confidential.Reply immediately









 




 




Sincerely Yours.




 









David Wright Miliband MP




British Foreign Secretary




 




 




Legal Disclaimer : The information transmitted is intended only for the person
or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or
privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use
of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or
entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received
this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any
computer.




 




© 2009, British Foreign & Commonwealth Office United Kingdom. All rights
reserved.



Anti-fraud resources: