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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: AUUNOWA@africamail.com
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:54:21 -0800
Subject: RE: YOU ARE COMPENSATED

African Union Headquarters
P.O. Box 3243
Roosvelt Street
(Old Airport Area)
W21K19
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia.

RE: YOU ARE COMPENSATED

Attention: Beneficiary,

At the African Union Summit that was held on the 25 Jan - 2
Feb 2010 in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia; focused was on scammed victim in the globe,
foreign contractors that may not have received their
contract sum as well as inheritance, including people that
have an unfinished and failed transaction due to government
bureaucracy etc in Africa.

The African union in conjunction with the Oceanic Bank PLC
in a drive to restore and protect the image of African
globally which was occasioned by the activities of
interlopers who have taken advantage of the situation in the
continent has resolved to compensate each person with the
sum of $350,000.00.

You are being contacted because your email address was
selected by an advanced automated random computer search
ballot system from the Internet for compensation.

You are advised to contact Mr. George Ikoli our West Africa
Regional Representative in Nigeria for further directives on
how to receive your ATM cash card for the $350,000.00 (Three
Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars). Note that
the compensated fund is on ATM for security reasons.

Note that the only fee you are expected to pay is the $80 to
cover the cost of courier and VAT to deliver the package to
you by courier delivery services. Therefore, you should
contact Mr. George Ikoli immediately on Tel #: 234- 80 58 98
83 42 or email address: auwaregion@live.com for further
directives.

Yours faithfully,
FOR: SECRETARY GENERAL


Gen Lamie Cisse
Ex-Special Representative
For West Africa (UNOWA)

Anti-fraud resources: