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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:

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Benson Otto <k_ot0020@yahoo.com.mx>
Reply-To: g_y1000@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:25:14 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: From Mr. Benson Otto


Dear Sir/Madam,

 I do hope this letter will not come to you as a surprise; it was borne
out of my desire to share a business relation ship with you. My name is
Benson Otto, a Ghana national married with a wife and two children. I
work as an Administrative Manager with STANDARD SECURITY AND SERVICES LTD.
in Accra-Ghana.

I got the information concerning you from where I was searching for a
reliable person. I decided to contact you believing that by the grace of
God, you will accept to be my partner in this business. I joined the
services of this company in 1991 as Office assistance to this very level of
Administrative Manager. I have been working with this company Within this
period, I have watched with meticulous precision how African Heads of
States government functionaries have been using STANDARD SECURITIES to move
huge sums of money USD, Pound sterling, French France (Cash) to their
foreign partners. They bring in these consignments of money cash and
secretly declare the contents as jewelries, gold, diamond precious stones,
family treasure, documents etc. Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, Foday Sankoh of
Siera Leone. etc. All these people have hundreds of consignments deposited
with STANDARD SECURITIES.

Their foreign partners, friends and relatives, are claiming most of these
consignments. A lot of them are lying here unclaimed for as much as 15 yrs.
No body may ever come for them because in most cases, the documents of
deposit are never available to any body except the depositors most of them
dead. Since the inception of the 2000 millennium, STANDARD SECURITIES
MANAGEMENT changed the procedure of claims of consignments. As soon as you
are able to produce all the secret information as contained in the secret
file of any consignment, it will be released to you upon demand.  This is
why I am soliciting for your co-operation and assistance since these
consignments were deposited with several names and codes. 35 have been
claimed in the past six months. I have finished every arrangement for you
to come and claim consignment NO.988 containing (25 Million US Dollars). I
will supply you with all the information and documents. You will then deal
directly with the management which I am the head.

The procedure is simple:You will apply officially to the Director of
Operations of STANDARD SECURITIES for the release of consignment No. 988.
They will demand for some documents and secret codes. which I will supply
you with every detailed information as soon as you confirm the reception of
this proposal.

In your reply, include your private telephone number so that I can call you
for further explanation and directives on the procedure.


God Bless You.
Sincerely Yours,
Benson Otto






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