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:

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.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "00,000.00" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "% commission" (Beware of any scheme that involves depositing checks or money orders or receiving wire transfers in your bank account and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere, for a percentage of 5-15% of the total. Such offers are *always* fraudulent and you will be liable for the entire amount when the checks, money orders or wire transfers turn out to be fraudulent. Any money already forwarded comes out of *your* pocket then. )
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: Francis Owusu <zbotgsdikfbbni13@msn.com>
Reply-To: <francisowus@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2011 09:03:42 +0000
Subject: =?windows-1256?Q?I_NEED_YOU?= =?windows-1256?Q?R_URGENT_R?=
=?windows-1256?Q?EPLY=FE=FE?=

Dear friend,

I am (Mr.Francis Owusuþ)
a Director of operation in the above mentioned Corporation. My primary
assignment in the corporation is to award contracts that have been
approved by the Government. In the course of awarding these contracts
for the prefabrication/ refurbishment of the nation refinery. The
contract which was awarded to an expatriate was inflated to the tune of
$13,700,000.00 USD.

I
am seeking your indulgence and assistance in having this amount
remitted to your account for investment purposes. There is absolutely no
liability, be it civil, criminal or financial on your part. We have
resolved to compensate you with 40% commission for your assistance in
having this fund transferred to your account for investment purposes.
This transaction is being executed with the blessing of Executives in
government and in the Oil ministry.
More details will be forwarded to you, should I receive a positive
response from you. Looking forward to having a healthy and lucrative
business relationship with you.

Please contact me with this email address:francisowus@ymail.com

Your Name...

Your Home Addresses...

Country...

Private Telephone...

Marital Status...

Age...

Occupation...

Thank you in advance for your corporation.
Yours Sincerely,

Director, Finance and Corporate
Mr.Francis Owusu
Director of operation
(GNPC) Accra Ghana
.
Mobile +233-249-746-127

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam