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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "to your nominated bank account" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +27731344080 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • ingridsmith555@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: ingridsmith000@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 11:26:22 +0200
Subject: Business Proposal

FROM: MR INGRID SMITH
Email:ingridsmith555@hotmail.com
PHONE:+ 27 73 134 4080
Dear Sir/Madam

I am a staff of a reputable bank here in South Africa.
I will give you the name of the bank and other
important information if I receive a positive reply
from you. For security reasons I cannot disclose my
full identity to you for now until I am sure of your
cooperation. I work in the operations dept where I
serve as account officer to numerous customers. One of
the customers whom I worked as his account officer was
a wealthy diamond merchant from the Republic of Sierra
Leone, a country in West Africa. He lost his family in
the war. He was lucky to escape alive and came to this
country with his wealth. Unfortunately he died few
years back.

Because this man was good to me when he was alive, I
took it upon myself to travel to his country last
month, to see if I could locate any of his close
relations. On reaching there I discovered that his
only surviving uncle died a few months back. I
sponsored this trip on my own and nobody in the bank
knew I was undertaking the journey so I did not
present any official report of my findings in South
Africa.

Now there are two things I could do with respect to
the dead man's money. First, as his accounts officer,
I could formally notify the bank authorities that the
man is dead and has no next of kin. In this case the
money would be forfeited to the government after some
time. 0n the other hand, I can arrange for someone,
a foreigner, to act as the next of kin of the late man
so that he/she can claim the money. This is the option
l have decidedd to take to help myself and whoever
that God brings my way. I took this option after my
findings that this fund actually was a public fund
looted by highly place government officials under the
brutal military government. I want you to be my
partner. All you would have to do is act as the next
of kin of the dead man and the whole money in the
account will be transferred to your nominated bank
account. As the account/s officer to the late man, I
have all the necessary documents that you require to
claim the money in the account.

The total money in the account is USD$17 million. I
hope to resign my job as a banker to join you in a
viable business partnership at the eventual transfer
of this fund. Kindly Reach me immediately using the
above contact information. Also provide me with your
direct telephone and fax numbers for easy
communication.

Yours truly,

MR INGRID SMITH
+ 27 73 134 4080


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam