419 Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam (2006-01)

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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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.
This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
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.
- captbrianmorgan@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Capt Brian Morgan" <info@ussr.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: captbrianmorgan@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:00:29 -0500 (ECT)
Subject: CONFIDENTIAL LETTER FROM ME (BRIAN MORGAN) IRAQ DIVISION OF U,
S MARINES

Good day and compliments, i know this letter will definitely come to you
as a huge surprise,I am Capt. Brian Morgan, a US Marine, serving in the
3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment which Patrols the Anbar province,
Iraq.

I am desperately in need of assistance and I have summoned up courage to
contact you. I am presently in Iraq and I found your contact particulars
in an address journal. I am seeking your assistance to evacuate the sum
of $2,106,000. (two million hundred and six thousand dollars ) to
the States or any safe country, as far as I can be assured that it will
be safe in your care until I complete my service here.This is no stolen
money and there are no dangers involved.

Contact me via my private box: captbrianmorgan@gmail.com i usaly haves
some frien here in my unit that
helps me in the cheking of my other email box so they are having access
to thatone ,so i am furnishing you with this private one for
confidentiality purpose
so that I can furnish you with more details .do take care until when i
hear from you. i also plead
if you can make it soon.

Respectfully,
Capt. Brian Morgan
United States Marine Corps. IRAQ

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam