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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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.

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:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i have a new email address!" (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
  • "offshore account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "contract award committee" (the name of a person or institution often appearing 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.
  • martinamadi@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: martinamadi@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:27:29 +0530 (IST)
Subject: GET BACK TO ME


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: martinsamadi10@yahoo.in



- Dear Friend, My name is Martins Amadi. It is my pleasure to write this mail basically to seek your consent on transaction which involves transfer of an over-invoiced sum of money from my ministry to your bank account. The amount involved is US$25million. I am a member of the Contract Award Committee (CAC) in my ministry Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The amount was intentionally over-invoiced for our benefit. We have worked carefully to secure the approval of the fund since the original contract value has been paid on completion of the contract in 2006. Then the remaining balance of the US$25million is what we intend to transfer secretly to you you using your bank account details. The civil service code of conduct does not allow any serving officer to operate a foreign bank account, we are seriously handicapped to transfer the fund to an offshore account hence this contact to you. It is on this basis that I thought it wisely to use a foreigner to receiver the fund for our mutual benefit. We shall draw an agreement to back up this transaction and also to spell out our duties, sharing modalities and safety of the fund in your bank account. If you are interested, please contact me urgently through the email for us to reason together to get the transaction realized soon. Summarily, there is no single risk involve having taken care of all forms of obstacles that would pose some risks in the deal. To avoid taking things for granted. The transaction will be processed legitimately with all legal proof on the execution of the contract. I urgently expect your response for more details via this email box (martinamadi@gmail.com ) Regards Martins Amadi

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam