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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: "Vladimir Oleg Lebedev" <br_lebedev4@msn.com>
Reply-To: vladolebedev@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:08:16 +0000
Subject: URGENT RESPONSE REQUIRED.

Dear friend,

I am comrade Vladimir Oleg Lebedev personal assistant to Mikhail
Khodorkovsky once rated as the richest man in Russia and owner of YUKOS OIL
(Russian largest oil company), chairman CEO: Menatep SBP Bank (a well
reputable financial institution with its branches all over the world).

SOURCE OF FUNDS:

I have a profiling amount in an excess of US$100.5M, which I seek you to
accommodate for me. You will be rewarded with 4% of the total sum for your
partnership. Can you handle this?

As his personal assistant, I was authorized to transfer money of an American
oil merchant for his last oil deal with my boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

The funds have since left the shores of America to a European private bank
where the final crediting is to be carried out. While I was on the process,
my boss got arrested for his involvement in politics by financing the
leading and opposing political parties (the Union of Right Forces, led by
Boris Nemtsov, and Yabloko, a liberal/social democratic party led by Gregor
Yavlinsky), which posed as a threat to President Vladimir Putin Second
Tenure as Russian president. Since then, I have placed on hold all
transactions concerning this amount. You can catch more of the story on this
website:

http://www.yukos.com
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3213505.stm
http://news.ft.com/cms/4bb9612a-d254-11d8-b661-00000e2511c8.html
http://www.hoovers.com/yukos/--ID__53700--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml
http://newsfromrussia.com/main/2003/11/13/51215.html

YOUR ROLE:

All I need from you is to stand as the beneficiary of the abovementioned sum
and I will re-profile the funds with your name, which will enable the
European bank transfer the sum to you. I have decided to use this sum to
relocate to the American continent and never to be connected to any Of
Mikhail Khodorkovsky conglomerates. The transaction has to be concluded soon
and as I confirm your readiness to conclude the transaction with me, I will
provide you with details.

Thank you very much.

Regards,

Comrade Vladimir Oleg Lebedev.

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