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)
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "mtcn" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.

Fraud email example:

From: Gabriel Samba <zenithbankaplcbeninrepublic@gmail.com>
Reply-To: usaembassy171@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 19:26:20 -0700
Subject: =?windows-1252?Q?FROM_MRS=2E_ROSE_DANIEL_PLEASE_DON=92T_OVER=2DLOOK_THIS_?=
=?windows-1252?Q?E=2DMAIL=2E?=

DIRECTOR GENERAL OF WESTERN UNION-BENIN
=======================================
FROM MRS. ROSE DANIEL
ADDRESS 21 BP GOV ROD CA JACKSON 2 COTONOU BENIN

MY DEAR FRIEND.
PLEASE DON’T OVER-LOOK THIS E-MAIL.

MY DEAR I SPEND THE REST OF MY WORKING PERIODS IN WESTERN UNION AND
THE GOOD YEARS WORKING UNDER (WU) OFFICE BEFORE I FINAL RECEIVE MY
RETIREMENT LETTER THAT WILL TAKE PLACE ON 1/10/2013 , I HAVE NO
CRIMINAL RECORD SO FAR AND IT WILL NOT
START IN YOUR OWN TIME RATHER YOU WILL SHOWS YOUR APPRECIATION TO ME
BY SENDING ME A GIFT ONCE THIS TRANSFER FINALIZE AND YOU HAVE YOUR
FUND RECEIVED AS I PROMISE YOU FROM THE BEGINNING.

YOU AND I KNOWS THAT THERE IS SO MANY SCAMS GOING AROUND THE GLOBAL
WORLD TODAY USING MY NAME, NAMES OF WESTERN UNIONS, BANKS OFFICES AND
COMPANY’S TO SCAM MONEY OUT FROM INNOCENT PEOPLE BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN
THAT EVERY BODY IS A SCAM.

AS IT STANDS NOW, I HAVE NOTING TO PROVE MYSELF THAT I AM NOT AMONG
THE SCAMMERS UNTIL I FULFILLED MY PROMISE BY GETTING YOUR FUND
TRANSFER TO YOU BEFORE MY RETIREMENT COME ON 1/10/2013 ,THAT IS ONLY
WAY I CAN PROVE MYSELF INNOCENT IN THIS MATTER AND THAT IS EXACTLY
WHAT I’M DOING SO FAR BY TRY MY BEST TO MAKE SURE YOU RECEIVE YOUR
FUND.

I FEEL THE PROBLEM YOU HAD NOW IS NOT THAT YOU DON’T HAVE MONEY TO
SEND BUT LACK OF TRUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN CHEATED
MANY TIMES WITH THIS TRICK OF SENDING MONEY TO MINE PEOPLE RELEASE
YOUR FUND .ALTHOUGH, I AM NOT AGAINST WHAT YOU HAVE SAID BECAUSE OF
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO PEOPLE IN THIS GLOBLE WORLD TODAY.

I KNOW THAT AFTER THIS CHARGE YOUR FUND WILL BEEN TRANSFER TO
YOU,KINDLY GIVE ME THIS LAST CHANCE AND TRUST AND SEE IF I WILL NOT
FULFILLED MY PROMISE TO YOU BY GETTING YOUR FUND TO YOU WITH OUT ANY
FURTHER DELAYS AND REMEMBER THAT THIS WILL BE MY LAST CHANCE TO PROVE
MYSELF INNOCENT,

AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT AFTER YOU SEND THE $88 YOUR FUND WILL BE
TRANSFER TO YOU IMMEDIATELY.

SEND THE $88 OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE/CARE'S DETAILS

RECEIVER NAME JOE UDE
COUNTRY IS / BENIN REPUBLIC
CITY ADDRESS IS / COTONOU
QUESTION... IN GOD?
ANSWER... WE TRUST
.MTCN.............................
AMOUNT=====$88 USD
SENDERS NAME=====

THE WOMAN'S PICTURE ON TOP IS THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF WESTERN UNION
BENIN WHEN SHE WAS SIGNING MY RETIREMENT PAPER AND MY OWN PICTURE IS
BELOW IMAGE.SEND THE PAYMENT DETAILS TO ME WHICH ARE SENDERS NAME AND
ADDRESS, MTCN NUMBER, TEXT QUESTION AND ANSWER USED AND THE AMOUNT
SENT.

THANKS FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.
MRS. ROSE DANIEL
PASSPORT NO, A03040922
THANKS AS I WAIT FOR YOUR RESPONSE
MRS. ROSE DANIEL

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam