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:
- "the consignment" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "trunk box" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "consignment " (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "trunk boxes" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "the diplomat " ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- iwunorpeter@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: OFFICE FILE <officefile654@gmail.com>
Reply-To: iwunorpeter@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 2015 15:59:19 +0200
Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation_FBI=E2=80=99s_Atlanta_Divi?=
=?UTF-8?Q?sion?=

>From the office of Agent Mark I.P. Giuliano
Special Agent in Charge of the FBIâ€™s Atlanta Division
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Email,,iwunorpeter@hotmail.com
Intelligence field unit
2635 Century Parkway N.E,
Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30345 USA

Urgent Attention:

I am Special Agent Mark F Giuliano from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (Atlanta Division) Intelligence Unit. We have just
intercepted and confiscated two (2) trunk boxes at Hartsfield Jackson
Atlanta international airport, and are on the verge of moving it to
our bureau head quarters.

We have scanned the said boxes, and have found it to contain a total
sum of $5.8M USD and also backup document which bears your name as the
receiver of the money contained in the boxes. Investigations carried
out on the diplomat who accompanied the boxes into the United States
has it that he was to deliver this fund to your residence as your
contract/inheritance payment which was due you from the office of
finance Minster of the federal government of Nigeria.

We cross-checked all legal documentation in the consignment boxes, and
were about to release the consignment boxes to the diplomat, when we
found out that the consignment boxes lacked one vital certificate
which results to your consignment boxes confiscation until the
required certificate is obtain by you for final clearance and onward
delivery of your consignment boxes to your residence address.

According to section 229 subsections 31 of the 1991 constitution on
release of unclaimed consignment payment, your consignment lacks funds
ownership certificate and for that reason you must contact me for
direction on how to procure this certificate, so that your consignment
can be legally cleared and OK for delivery to you.

You are required to contact this bureau within 72 hours or we would
take it that you do not want your consignment, and would move it to
the treasury Also, you must not contact any other bank for any
payment, because your payment is here in care of our storage vault
team and will be released to you once you follow my directives.

Yours in service,
Iwunor I.P. Giuliano,
Email, iwunorpeter@hotmail.com
Special Agent in Charge of the FBIâ€™s Atlanta Division.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam