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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: "Barclays Bank of London" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <stevensteward57@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2012 13:08:07 +0100
Subject: KINDLY RECOMFIRM YOUR FULL INFORMATIONS FOR THE DELIVERY.

BANK OF ENGLAND/UNITED NATIONS 2012 COMPENSATION
From Foreign Payment Director
Barclays Bank of London
Mr. Steven Steward
Email: (stevensteward57@yahoo.com)
ATTENTION: SCAMMED VICTIM/1MILLION BENEFICIARY.REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 06654 1 MILLION USD.
This is to bring to your notice that I am delegated from the United Nations to Barclays Bank of London to pay 100 African/Nigerian 419 scam victims $1 Million each, you are listed and approved for this payments as one of the scammed victims, get back to us as soon as possible for the immediate payments of your $1 Million compensations funds.
On this faithful recommendations,i want you to know that during the last UN meetings held at London, England, it was alarmed so much by the rest of the world in the meetings on the lose of funds by various foreigners to the scams artists operating in syndicates all over the world today.
In other to retain the good image of the country, the British Prime Minister is now paying 100 victims of this operators $1 Million USD each, Due to the corrupt and inefficient banking systems in Africa, the payments are to be paid by Barclay s Bank as corresponding paying bank under funding assistance by
the Bank of England.
According to the number of applicants at hand, 80 beneficiaries has been paid ,half of the victims are from the United States, we still have more 20 left to be paid the compensations of $1 Million each, you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him for any reason what so ever, the US secret service is already on trace of the criminal.
You can receive your compensations payments via any of the both options you
choose,DRAFT PAYMENTS or WIRE TRANSFERS,I shall feed you with further
modalities as soon as I hear from you. do respond to my email
(stevensteward57@yahoo.com) for more advise, please call: +2348 8993 2868
Yours Faithfully,
Steven Steward

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