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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "MIKE HARRISON" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mike.harrison011@outlook.com>
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2016 19:59:14 +0100
Subject: From Mike Harrison

From Mike Harrison,
Phone:  +447087668861,
E-mail: mike.harrison011@outlook.com 
 
Please pay attention and understand my aim of e-mailing you today, my name is Mr. Mike Harrison, Relationship Director at NatWest Commercial Banking. I ask your consideration to this transaction with utmost confidentiality. Being a top executive at NATWEST Bank, I discovered a numbered account with a credit balance of £14,300,000 .00 (Fourteen Million, Three Hundred Thousand British Pounds) which belongs to one of our deceased customers (Lewis Vandenburg) an American millionaire, who unfortunately died in OSO Washington mudslide in March 2014.
 
Due to my position at the bank, I have necessary details to claim these funds without any hitch. I only need your help as a foreigner to assume the beneficiary, because my position as a civil servant and a staff of the bank does not permit me or my relatives to make this claim. Therefore, I want you to stand as the “Foreign Beneficiary", and I assure you of a perfect transfer strategy in your name legally to avoid any suspicion.
 
You will earn 40% of the entire sum for your participation in this great financial deal, Upon consideration of this proposal, I request (Your full name, Contact address and your direct telephone/fax number) to enable me re-profile the fund in your name as the beneficiary, for the bank to release and transfer the fund to any of your nominated bank account. Considering the volume of discretion required for success of this project, i ask your reply to my private email: mike.harrison011@outlook.com   and you are free to call me on my phone number above for clearer explanations.
 
Thanking you in anticipation of your immediate reply.
 
Yours truly,
 
Mr. Mike Harrison,
Relationship Director
NatWest Commercial Banking

Anti-fraud resources: