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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.

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

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
  • "you will be entitled to 30%" (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)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: mrjoe beck55 <mrjoe_beck55@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2006 03:09:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Best Regards


Dear friend,
I am Mrjoe Beck the auditing manager of Banque Togolaise Pour Le merce Et Industrie (BTCI) Lome Togo. During our investigation and auditing in this bank, your department came across a very huge sum of money belonging to a deceased person who died on 31st October 1999 in a plane crash and the fund has been dormant in his count with this Bank without any claim of the fund in our custody either from his family or relation my discovery to this issue.

The said amount was U.S $10.2 M (Ten Million Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) Meanwhile all the whole arrangement to put claim over this fund as the nafide next of kin to the deceased, get the required approval and transfer this money to a foreign account has been put in place .

The transfer of this fund will require a second party or fellow who will forward claim s the next of kin with affidavit of trust of oath to the Bank and also present a foreign unt where he will need the money to be re-transferred into on his request as it may be after due verification and clarification by the correspondent branch of the bank here the hole money will be remitted from to your own designation bank account. I will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free.

On smooth conclusion of this transaction, you will be entitled to 30% of the total sum as gratification, while 5% will be set aside to take care of expenses that may arise during the time of transfer and also telephone bills, while 65% will be for me. I will be monitoring the whole situation here in this bank until you confirm the money in your account and I will come over to your country for my own share of the fund.

Yours faithfully,

Mrjoe Beck







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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam