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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "diplomatic immunity"
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "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)
  • "diplomatic immunity" ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
  • "the diplomat " ("diplomats" who perform deliveries of cash or other valuables to you only exist in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +447031848284 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "SPECIAL DUTIES OFFICE SPECIAL DUTIES OFFICE" <imf_worldbuk5@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: imf_worldbun@europe.com
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:19:51 +0100
Subject: "TREAT AS EXTREMELY URGENT"

THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND.

WORLD BANK FACT-FINDING & SPECIAL DUTIES OFFICE

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM.

TEL: +44 7031848284.





Dear Fund Beneficiary,


I am Rev.Father Thomas Rhodes,a senior staff with the World Bank fact

finding & special duties office. I am writing you this letter because

cool penny is better than millions of dollars. It is better for one to

live and die poor honest man than a rich dishonest one.I and the chief

security officer (CSO) of this organization have arranged with an officer

in computer section engineer Peter Cliff to bring out part of your

total pending payment sum amounting to US$10 million. Why we did this is

because according to information gathered from the bank’s/security

computer, you have been waiting for a long time to receive your money
without

success.


As I found out that you have almost met all the statutory requirements

in respect of your pending payment, your problem is that of interest

groups. A lot of people are interested in your payment and those people

are merely doing paper works with you and that explains why you receive

fax and phone messages from different people everyday. Also we found

out that some of the officials of the parastatals have been extorting a

lot of money from you with the pretext of helping you receive your

money. I can assure you that this may last for years yet nothing happens if

you do not do away with those officers that you call your partners.


And the money is in a security-proof box weighing 75kg.Yesterday we

went to four courier companies to make arrangements on how to ship them by

courier to you. Dhl, Ems, FedEx, Ups all said that they must open the

boxes for inspection by the customs before shipment. This is something

we want to avoid because the box is padded with synthetic nylon and to

open it, you have to cut the pad before you will meet the button that

you will press to open the dial code-lock. There is no way you can open

the box and be able to close it again because it was padded with

machine. We told the courier services that the box contained film materials

and when open will spoil the materials. We did not declare money because

courier does not carry money.


Today a friend of mine who is diplomat disclosed to me that there is a

security courier service they use to send diplomatic materials and

information from one country to another. It has diplomatic immunity and

consignment cannot be checked by any customs anywhere in the world. I have

met the officials of the security courier service and concluded

shipping arrangement with them, which they will commence as soon as i have

your go ahead order. The diplomat will help me so we do not have any

problem.


We have concluded that you must donate Five Hundred Thousand United

States dollars (US$500,000.00) to any charity organisation I designate as

soon as you receive your money.


To this effect, you will send us a promissory note for Five Hundred

Thousand United States dollars (US$500,000.00) along with your address for

sending the box by courier. Please maintain topmost secrecy as it may

cause a lot of problems if found out that we are using this way to help

you.


Do not ever tell anybody about this until you have your money.God be

with us as we wait for your reply


Yours faithfully,


REV. FATHER THOMAS RHODES

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam