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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: JULIA MARIA CRUZ <juliacruz1968@live.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:04:57 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Good Day!!



Good Day,



My name is Julia Maria Cruz a Spanish woman married a British business man though my husband is late, I am Staff of Standard Life Bank Limited London- UK. Though I have not considered this medium to be the best manner to have approached you on this issue being that the internet has been greatly abused over the recent years and is very unsecured for information of vital importance. I have decided to take the chance seeing that no other means could have been faster and more efficient than the E-mail.



I am contacting you concerning a deceased customer and an investment he placed under our banks management four years ago to the tune of Five Million united states dollars($5,000,000.00).I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this mail. I have been in charge of this department for nine years and to best of my knowledge, I have discharged my duty with equity, In the process of review of the financial report by my department, I discovered that both of you have a similar last name; hence I contacted you so that I can give you further briefing on my intention and how to disburse the funds and estate he left behind.



My proposal; you share the same surname With our late client; I am prepared to place you as the next of kin and have the funds release to you as the closest surviving relation, I am prepared to share the money with you in half 50/50, I have evaluated the risks and the only risk I have here is from you refusing to work with me and alerting my bank, please, again, note I am a family woman with children. I send you this mail not without a measure of fear as to what the consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold.



Kindly send your response to me if you're interested



I await your response.



Best regards

Mrs Julia Maria Cruz.

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