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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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:
- "money gram" (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. )
- "money-gram" (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. )
- "i will advice you " (this email uses bad English)
- "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
This email message is a next of kin scam.
Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- mrpatrickokoye@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr. PK. Okoye information office" <gfghihihhthdffnh@yahoo.pt>
Reply-To: "Dr. PK. Okoye information office" <mrpatrickokoye@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 07:45:30 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Read my good friend, If this is TRUE/Not please urgently--reply
get back to me for confirmation today!

Â Attn my good friend, Â read!
Good day to you my good friend, how was your day hope itâ€™s fine? My good friend please I just want to confirm this from you before giving this Mr Alexander Lewis Henry the go ahead order,
My dear I received an email from this Mr Alexander Lewis Henry this morning by 11:30 Am in about 5hours ago now for he told I Dr Patrick Okoye, that he has a meeting with you yesterday evening by 7:30 pm in your time in the hospital that you were very sick, And he said you told him that you are not sure you will be fine again,
That he should contact i Dr. Patrick Okoye , and let me know that you are in the hospital that you canâ€™t be able to complete this transaction any more, that you have giving him your power of attorney to make claims of your inheritance FUND that is in this office on your behalf that you are not capable to complete this transfer any more,
Then I now asked him why you did not send i Dr. Patrick Okoye an email to let me know what he has just said now! My dear he told me that you are in the hospital that you canâ€™t get out of your bed to do that, he told me to call you on telephone to confirm that from you that you canâ€™t get out of bed to access your email, my dear so I told him to give me 6hours to see if I can get in touch with you at all cost before making change of your transfer files to his name and his giving address,
Again he said you told him that the balance of the fee he is to send to the Benin Deposite Insurance Copporation (BDIC) for obtaining of the certificates that is holding this transfer not to go true is $38 that he should send the money to DR. PATRICK ,so that I will go and obtain the needed BDIC Â certificates from them immediately, and we start sending your funds to him by Money-Gram transfer service as your next of kin.
So my dear I will like to confirm this from you before giving him the go ahead order to send the $38 to the Benin Deposite Insurance Copporation (BDIC) and start receiving your FUND from Money-gram payment center Benin Republic on your behalf as you canâ€™t be able to complete this transfer any more, because he told me on our telephone convention of this morning that he has the money with him right now, and he also said I should not contact you that you will not respond even if I send 100 times emails because of your seriouse illness.
Please my good friend if you are not aware of this very person I will advice you to Email/call me,immediately you receive this email for is very-very impotant. Â But if he is right do get back to me on email and give me the go ahead order to tell him to send the needed $38 to the BDIC office and we start sending to his provided address.
I await your urgent respond A.S.A.P. Email on my private email address: mrpatrickokoye@yahoo.com
Thanks,Dr. Patrick Okoye: i am on yahoo chart, ID is:(mrpatrickokoye)Money gram Â Bonanza payment consultant: Center

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam