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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: "Mrs. Sarah Mantu" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <stateoffice2017@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2017 22:48:50 +0100
Subject: GOOD FRIEND. 195.175.104.254

Good Friend
 
 
 
This is to officially inform you that We the State Inheritance Committee in conjunction with the Standard Bank Ghana is to officially inform you that ATM card number: 3774 2856 7847 9006 worth Two Million Five Hundred Thousand ($2.5 Million USD)
 
 
 
 
Your personal identification is ATM- 7997. Contact me as the verification officer Sarah Mantu (Mrs.) on my personal email with the following information bellow for proper immediate confirmation and verification processing of the Card:
 
 
 
 
Full Name (as wanted on Card)..................
Delivery Address.........
Country..................
Occupation...............
Phone Number.............
Fax Number...............
Age......................
 
 
 
 
 
You are also required to send to the verification officer/agent a means of Identification which should be a scan copy of your Driver's License or International Passport for proper verification and authentication.
 
 
 
 
 
This payment is to compensate you on your contract payment with the Federal Republic of Ghana and other west African country and have been approved by the Organization of African union (OAU) since you are next on our payment file for the first part of this fiscal Year 2017 because we want to complete every past contractors and individual payment between now and the next 10 working days time. We have instructed the card center to prepare and send you the ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw your money in any ATM MACHINE in the world.
 
 
 
 
 
We shall be expecting to receive your information, For now you have to stop any further communication with anybody or office. On this regards, do not hesitate to contact Me (Mrs Sarah) for more details and direction, and also please do update me if you receive any information from any Office or Anybody apart this Office.
 
 
 
 
 
Pls get back to us now.
 
 
 
 
Regards
Mrs. Sarah Mantu
STATE INHERITANCE COMMITTEE

Anti-fraud resources: