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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "minimum opening balance" (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "processing fee" (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "transfer of your funds" (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 fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
• 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.
  • +31644957616 (Netherlands, 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.
  • @gawab.com

Fraud email example:

From: "fries land" <frieslandbv123@gawab.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:47:31 GMT
Subject: CLAIMS


From: Mr. Van Smith.
Tel: +31 644 957 616
Fax: +31 847 537 844 .
Friesland Bank Rotterdam,
Netherlands.
Date: 27TH. June. 2006.

Dear Valued Client ,

This is to acknowledgment the receipt of your e-mail, and to
confirm the validity of the winning notification. Be informed
that you have been approved to receive the sum of €1,000,000.00
(ONE MILLION Euros), as the new winner of the last Lottery.
However, your funds are presently domiciled in the Automated
suspense account (ASA) of the Central Bank of The Netherlands,
and because of this, we are advising you to open a new account
with us so that your funds can be transferred from the central
bank's account into it before we can transfer it to you -
transfer it into your choice of account in your country. For
now, your funds will remain in the Automated Suspense account
pending when you open a normal account with us to receive your
funds from the ASA of the central bank.
NOTE: funds in a suspense account can neither be transferred nor
deducted from until the holding bank (Friesland Bank in this
instance) formally open a normal account for the funds
beneficiary to receive it. After then, the funds can then be
remitted to the beneficiary of the new account. These measures
are standard financial regulations by European Central Bank
(ECB) since the commencement of the global fight against
terrorism and the enactment of the new anti-money laundry acts.
ACCOUNT OPTIONS:
You have two options of accounts for your class of funds
transfer; the 'Saving account', 'Personal Current account' and
the Non Residence account. The flexibility of the Saving account
is that you can transfer your funds (€1,000,000.00) from here to
your account in your country at 1.711% as transfer charges,
while the personal current account gives you the same
flexibility at a charge of 0.921% and finally the cooperate
account though gives you the same flexibility but the transfer
charge is 0.18%.
Note: You must open one of these accounts to facilitate the
transfer of your funds from the central bank's automated
suspense account for onward remittance to your account in your
country.
To proceed with this transaction therefore, you need to inform
us of your choice of account so that we can furnish you with the
basic requirements: Minimum Initial Deposit (minimum opening
balance) and the processing fees needed for the release of your
funds from the Central Bank of The Netherlands. Also, we will
send you the account opening forms/funds release orders, to fill
and return to us within the next 24hrs.

Thanks in advance for banking with us.

Yours sincerely,
Rulet Anderson (Mrs.)
For: Mr. Van Smith.
Friesland Bank , Koningin Straat 114 ,
Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Tel: +31 644 957 616
Fax: +31 847 537 844
---------------------------------------------
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam