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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: "Ken Metuh" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kenstrut7@aol.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:45:52 +0100
Subject: Proposal

Dear Sir,
May I apologize to you for any inconvenience caused if this mail does not meet
your demands, though I do not intend to embarrass you by the content of this
very mail.
I am Dr Kenneth Strut a Civil Engineer by profession but now a politician and a
director with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Power in the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
As a result of an audit inquiry carried out in my ministry upon our ascension
to office, we discovered that there were outstanding debts being owed contractors
even though these contracts had been fully executed.
On a closer observation, my colleagues and I, found out that some of these debts
represented some inflated contract costs which had been built up by our
predecessors in office. We therefore decided to divert this difference for our
personal use.
I was then mandated to source for a foreign partner whom will partner with us
as a contractor with the federal government here to enable us file in for these
claims.
It is on this premise that I decided to contact you, to seek your consent to
partner this with us.
All necessary documents will be provided to ensure a smooth and legal
transaction once we have your consent in this. I shall direct you on the
process and procedure to ensure there are no mistakes when filing for payment.
I will need you to assist me with the procedure to ensure an efficient
transaction as I cannot handle the entire process involved, since am still in
the employ of the government here.
As soon as you indicate your consent, we shall be willing to discuss a
percentage of the total sum involved as your commission for assisting us, while
we shall provide you with an offshore account to transfer our part of the funds
as agreed upon the completion of this transaction.
I am a chieftain of the ruling People's Democratic Party here in Nigeria
and therefore, this transaction must be handled in a very confidential manner to
protect my Societal standing here.
Upon completion of this process, l would like you to assist me find good areas
of investment in your country.
I shall brief you further upon my receipt of your consent or letter of intent.
Yours Faithfully,
Kenneth Strut Metuh


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