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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: ALI IBRAHIM <pcgiap.mongolia@mongol.net>
Reply-To: <post-office@hotbox.ru>
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:18:46 +0200
Subject: Your ATM Visa Card =?UTF-8?Q?Wa=C2=ADs=20Discovered=20In=20Post?=
=?UTF-8?Q?=20Offi=C2=ADce=2C=20Porto-Novo=2C=20Benin?=

Benin Address formatIn Cotonou, the delivery post office is identified
by two digits. These are placed before the P.O. Box number. Example M.
Abou Kodjo
03 BP 1000 COTONOU BENIN Contact Office des postes Services postaux et
financiers Fax: (+229) 31 48 43 email Address (post-office@hotbox.ru)

Good day.

I’m the new appointed Postman of Regular Mail Post Office branched at
Porto Novo Benin. I assumed this office on 12th, May, 2014. On going
through the files of the previous records of this office, I discovered
that there are six parcels containing ATM cards each one attached with
an email address of the owner on it. The former appointee of this office
(Alhaji Ahmed Musa Jr.) failed to carry out the delivery as it was
instructed and programmed. Probably, one of his reasons for not carrying
out the delivery was that you have not provided your postal address to
him for the completion of the delivery as he remarked.

According to the content recorded in each file, the ATM card was
deposited by one Senior Evangelist Mathew Peterson who died one year
back as a charity foundation parcel to each of the six of you. On the
statement he wrote on the list, he stated that each of the
aforementioned ATM cards contains the sum of US$2,550,000.00 and he
found your email contacts as reputable and capable persons that can use
the charity awarded ATM Cards to change the lives of people.

Meanwhile, I've made the arrangement of posting the six parcels through
Regular Mail Post Office to the six of you to your respective mailing
addresses.

Don’t be surprise in case this email message appears in your mail box
as “undisclosed recipients” because I am sending the same message of the
same content to six of you at the same time.

I went to our head office at Cotonou-Benin and reported the issue of
the discovered six ATM cards in my office and they verified it and gave
me the order to carry out the delivery immediately after you send the
$85usd for the Postal Stamp of the parcel. We would have deducted the
fee out of the main fund but as you are clearly aware that we don’t have
any access to the PIN code of the ATM card until you receive it and open
it by yourself. It’s an illegal act for us to open the PIN code
ourselves. So, you should send the $85usd today for the Postal Stamp.
Send the $85usd through Western Union to my secretary JOHN KEN as listed
below:

Receiver’s Name: JOHN KEN
Country: Republic of Benin
City: Porto Novo
Text Question: Good?
Answer: Yes
Amount: $85
Sender’s Name:
Sender’s Address:
MTCN or Reference Number:

All the best,
E-mail Address (post-office@hotbox.ru)
Barr. Sam George,
New Appointee of Regular Mail Post Office, Porto Novo-Benin

Anti-fraud resources: