419 Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam (2006-01)

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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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- +2348134798997

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Steven Jones <westernunionnotification201@yahoo.com.ph>
Reply-To: mr_stevenjones8@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:51:52 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: =?utf-8?B?V2VzdGVybiBVbmlvbiBTZXJ2aWNlcyBXZXN0ZXJuIFVuaW9u4pWdIFdlbGNv?=
=?utf-8?B?bWUgdG8gV2VzdGVybiBVbmlvbiBTZW5kIE1vbmV5IFdvcmxkd2lkZSAgICAg?=
=?utf-8?B?V2VzdGVybiBVbmlvbiBNb25leSBUcmFuc2ZlcnPCrkF2YWlsYWJsZSBhdCBC?=
=?utf-8?B?cm9vay1zaGlyZSdzIGxvY2F0aW9ucywgV2VzdGVybiBVbmlvbiBpcyBhIGNv?=
=?utf-8?B?bnZlbmllbnQgd2F5IHRvIHNlbmQgbW9uZXkgZmFzdC4gSXQncyBlYXN5LCBy?=
=?utf-8?B?ZWxpYWJsZSBhbmQgeW91IGhhdmUgYSBjaG9pY2Ugb2YgZ3JlYXQgb3B0aW9u?=
=?utf-8?B?cy4gICBVc2UgdGhlIHJpZ2h0IG1vbmV5IHRyYW5zZmVyIHNlcnZpY2UgZ

Â Â Western Union Services
Â Â Western Union
Â Â Welcome to Western Union
Â Â Send Money Worldwide
Â Western Union Money TransfersÂ®Available at Brookshire's locations, Western Union is a convenient way to send money fast. It's easy,reliable and you have a choice of great options.Â Use the right money transfer service for you to get money there fast,nationwide and worldwide.
ATTE:SIR/MADAM,There is an issue with the WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER in the amount of $750,000.00 USD directed in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03, at the owner of this email address.Â The International Monetary Fund(I.M.F) contacted us for your compensation a couple of hours ago due to your allocated security code.They said that they choose to send it to an email address instead of a name. We are unable to complete a transfer directed at an email address,so we require some more information in order to verify it with what we
have on file from the IMF.Reconfirm the below information.Â FULL NAME:Â Â Â
FULL CONTACT ADDRESS:
INT'L PASSPORT/DRIVER'S LICENSE (IF ANY)
NATIONALITY:
MOBILE PHONE NUMBER:
OCCUPATION:
SEX:
AGE:
In order to resolve this problem,get back to us immediately.When emailing,please use reference number 250-147 for our mutual convenience.THE MANAGEMENT OF WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER,OFFICE NIGERIA BRANCH.
Best Regards.Yours Sincerely,
Mr Steven Jones.
Western Union Payments Unit.
+234-8134798997

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam