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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "edwin dike" <edwindike1@si2u.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 08:47:21 -0700
Subject: I expect your response

Mr.Edwin Dike
(Finance and Accounts NNPC),
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,
Lagos-Nigeria.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please before you think that this is not real,click thislink:

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=47262

I am of the Finance and Accounts Department, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] and a close associate of the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources.The Minister has mandated me to transfer the sum of US$20 millions recovered from over-invoiced contracts involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] into private accounts either in Europe and United States and Asia.
I have made proper arrangement/documentation to transfer the fund which is retained in a coded account of the NNPC with the Central Bank o f Nigeria. We are soliciting that you help us to receive the fund in trust. We Cannot complete this transaction smoothly without the participation of a foreign partner who would provide an account where the funds could be lodged. Since it is a contract payment, the funds must be remitted to a foreign account.The remittance of the funds requires little documentation.

There is no risk involved on your part in thistransaction since the Former Minister and I have covered this transaction with adequate contract and external credit documents from the beginning. What we require from you
by e-mail are:
{i} Acceptance letter of this offer
{ii)Your company name/Address and confidential Telephone and fax numbers
{iii}Convincing honesty,Trustworthiness and Willingness to abide by the requirements of this proposal paramount of which is CONFIDENTIALITY. We have agreed that you will retain 20% of the entire US$20,000,00 0.00 for your effort in this transaction, 70% for us partners here in Nigeria and the remaining 10% will be used for defrayal of incidental cost in the course of this transfer. Please reply urgently by e-mail as we expect that the transaction will not take more than ten working days. And please note that this transaction must be top secret.

Best regards
Mr.Edwin Dike
(Finance and Accounts NNPC)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam