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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
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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:
  • "this mail will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i have a new email address!" (this SPAM email was sent to thousands of people)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • johnnuruga@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: John Nuruga <johnnuruga@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 23 May 2006 10:50:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Dear Friend


I have a new email address!You can now email me at: johnnuruga@yahoo.com

Dear Friend,

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise.Iam the bill and exchange manager in Africa Develoment Bank Burkina Faso.I Hoped that you will not expose or betray this trust and confident that i am about to repose on you for the mutual benefit of our both families.

I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of $10.5million immediately to your account.The money has been dormant for years in our Bank here without any body coming for it.I want to release the money to you as the next of kin to our deceased customer(the owner of the account)who died a long with his supposed next of kin in an air crash since July 2000.

I don't want the money to go into our Bank treasury as an abandoned fund.So this is the reason why i contacted you,so that we will can release the money to you as the next of kin to the deceased cutomer.Please I would like you to keep this proposal as a top secret and delete if you are not interested.

Upon receipt of your reply,I will send you full details on how the business will be executed and also note that you will have 25% of the above mentioned sum if you agree to transact the business with us.

Yours Faithfully,

John Nuruga

- John Nuruga

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam