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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Paul Stevenson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <pasteve72@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 11 May 2015 22:26:04 +0100
Subject: A SERVICE CALL

Greetings,

Hello Good day. I'm Paul Stevenson 72 years old from Brussels Belgium. As a christian and philanthropist, I am emailing you because I wish to donate towards charitable programs; such that care for the Poor, Sick and Disabled. I plan to donate $1.3 Million for this purpose if only you can manage the program appropriately. Due to my age and condition of health,I need someone that can handle this mission. I sincerely would appreciate a response at your convenience. Email me at: pasteve72@gmail.com

Your Sincerely
Paul

Anti-fraud resources: