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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: "Alert@halifaxbank.co.uk" (may be fake)
Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2012 05:08:38 -0600
Subject: URGENT


Dear Halifax Bank Customer,

This e-mail has been sent to you by Halifax bank of Scotland UK .

To inform you that we were unable to verify your account details. This might be due to either of the following reasons:

1. A recent change in your personal information. (eg: address, phone)
2. Submitting incorrect information during register process.

Due to this, ensure that your email service is not interrupted, we request you to confirm and update your information today by downloading the letter attached to this mail and follow the instruction step by step.

If you have already confirmed your information then please disregard this message.

Regards,
Halifax Bank Of Scotland| member services

Thanks for your cooperation.


Anti-fraud resources: