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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: "Ms Zoe" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <ZOELAU289@GMAIL.COM>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2018 14:49:10 +0100
Subject: Good day!From Ms Zoe

Dear Friend,
 
First I must solicit your confidence in this transaction, this is by virtue of it's nature as being utterly confidential and top secret.Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that this is real and genuine. I am Ms.Zoe Lau ,I work with the Citic Bank of China, I wish to place your name as the beneficiary to fifteen million three hundred thousand dollars only due to the death of the depositor who died years ago along with her family.
 
Following my idea that we can have a deal/agreement and I am going to do this legally with your name as the bonafide beneficiary of the amount in question by employing the service of a Chinese accredited attorney, who will handle all the legal documentations and lay claims through his legal authority on your behalf. Now the deal is 50% of this money will be for you, in respect to the provision of a foreign account and 50% would be for me as I have planned to come to your Country as soon as the transfer is completed.
 
I will need you to provide the following information urgently to enable the attorney start the processing of the all the relevant legal
documents for the fund remittance.
 
1)Name:
2)Address:
3)Tel:
4)Age:
5)Sex:
6)Occupation Status:
 
Waiting for your reply soon.
 
Yours faithfully,
Ms.Zoe Lau

Anti-fraud resources: