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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: "Colgate" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <williamcol_111@outlook.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2016 09:23:27 -0700
Subject: CENTRAL BANK/UNITED NATIONS/WORLD BANK 2016 COMPENSATIONS PAYMENTS.

CENTRAL BANK/UNITED NATIONS/WORLD BANK 2016 COMPENSATIONS PAYMENTS.
SCAMMED VICTIM/BENEFICIARY.REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 01979

ATTN: BENEFICIARY

DEAR SIR,

This is to bring to your notice that my office is delegated from the United Nations to Central bank of Nigeria to pay the sum of $2.5Million Dollars each to 100 Beneficiaries that were victims of Internet Scam, you are listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims,get back to me as soon as possible for immediate Payments of your $2.5Million compensations funds. On this faithfully recommendations we want you to know that during the Last UN meeting held in Abuja-Nigeria, it was alarmed so much by the rest of the world in the meeting on the lose of funds by various foreigners to the scams artists operating syndicates all over the world today.

In other to retain the good image of the country, the president of Nigeria his excellence president Muhammadu Buhari and his administration is now paying 100 victims of this operators $2.5Million USD each. Due to the corrupt and inefficient banking systems in Nigeria,the payments are to be paid by Central bank of Nigeria as corresponding paying bank under funding assistance by CITIBANK LONDON. According to the number of applicants at hand, 80 beneficiaries has Paid,half of the victims are from the United States, we still have more 20 left to be paid the compensations of $2.5Million each.

Your particulars was mentioned by one of the syndicates in Lagos Nigeria as one of their victims of the operations, you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him for any reason what so ever, the US secret service is already on trace of the criminals. You can receive your compensations payments via any of the both options You choose ATM CARD or WIRE TRANSFERS; I shall feed you with further modalities as soon as I hear from you.

Yours Sincerely,
Signed, William Colgate
Swift Card Consultants Payment Center.
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA/Financial Crimes Commission.

Anti-fraud resources: