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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: Bala Banda <balabanda001@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:57:05 -0700
Subject: This is a Money making Opportunity to us

--

Attn:
Re: This is a Money making Opportunity to us

Good Day,firstly I apologize using this medium to reach you and i would
want to demand a high level of maturity from you though we never me before
now but a friend of mine here make a good recommendation of you to be
reliable which is why i need your involvement. My name is Balam Banda
Offie. I work as an administrative secretary to a private Security Company
in Ghana. I decided to contact you and seek for your partnership in
business, I have worked with my Company for the past 14 years. Within this
period, I have watched with meticulous precision how African heads of
states and government functionaries have been using our Company to
loot,launder or shift their ill gotten money to abroad.

They bring in, these Consignments of money and secretly declare the content
as, Precious Stones, Gold Dust/Bars, Family Treasure Etc. The late Mobutu
Seseko of Zaire, the late Jonas Savimbi of Angola, etc. These past heads
of states and president have hundreds of consignments deposited with our
Company. Their foreign partners, friends, and relatives, have claimed most
of these consignments and a lot are still unclaimed for the period of ten
years and I am very sure that nobody will ever come for them, because in
most cases, the documents of deposit are never available to any body except
the depositor, and most of them are dead.

Since the inception of the 2011, management of our Company's, changed their
policy/procedure of claims of consignments. That as soon as one is able to
produce all the secret information as contained in the secret file of any
Consignment, it will be released to him/her upon demand.The late Gnassingbe
Eyadema has over 7 Consignments, deposited with several names and codes. 4
of these consignments have been claimed in past (10)Ten months, after his
Death.

I have finished every arrangement as to the claim, all what I need from you
is stand as the beneficiary/next of kin to the depositor and claim it on my
behalf for our mutual benefit. The consignments values and numbers are as
follows: consignment No.1201 containing US$15 million Dollars and
consignment No.1202 containing US$22 million Dollars together with
alluvial Gold Dust into a metallic box.

I will supply you with all the relevant information and documents regarding
the Deposit of these Consignments as soon as you indicate your interest to
assist. Therefore, should this be acceptable to you, kindly indicate in
writing. I want to emphasize here that this deal is free from any form of
risk from both parties as great care has been exercised in perfecting it,
and therefore, I enjoin you to approach it with an open mind and without
any fear whatsoever. As a deal, I make haste to advise that you should be
private about it.

Regards,
Balam Banda Offie.

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