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.
Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "ABN AMRO N.V" (may be fake) Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2011 08:54:02 +0100 Subject: Betreft: Account Verificatie
ABNAMRO
ABN AMRO is niet in staat om uw account te verifiëren. Uw
account moet
zo snel mogelijk worden gecontroleerd. Je kunt controleren of uw
account heel eenvoudig door te klikken op de volgende link.
