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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:
  • "might come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "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: fundwgt@yahoo.ca
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 01:47:16 -0800
Subject: RE;HELLO

THE NIGERIAN ELECTRIC POWER AUTHORITY
FROM:THE DESK OF ENGR PAUL BELLO
THE CHAIRMAN CONTRACT REVEIEW COMMITTEE,
35 LAGOS ISLAND
LAGOS NIGERIA.

Sir,
I am the Chairman Contract Review Committee of
national Electric Power Authority (NEPA). Although
this proposal might come to you as a surprise since
it is coming from someone you do not know or ever
seen before, but after due deliberations with my
colleagues, I decided to contact you based
on Intuition. We are soliciting for your humble and
confidential assistance to take custody of
twenty million, Five Hundred Thousand United
States Dollars.{US$20,500,000.00}. This sum (US$20.5M) is
an over invoice contract sum which is currently in an
offshore payment account of the Central Bank of
Nigeria as an unclaimed contract entitlement which
can easily be withdrawn
or drafted or pay to any recommended beneficiary by
my committee. On this note, you will be presented
as a contractor to NEPA who has executed a contract
to a tune of the above sum and has not been paid.
Proposed Sharing Pattern (%): 1. 70% for me and my
colleagues.
2. 20% for you as a partner/fronting for us.
3. 10% for expenses that may be incurred by both
parties during the cause of this transaction.
Our law prohibits a civil servant from operating a
foreign account, hence we are contacting you. If
this proposal satisfies you, do respond as soon as
possible with the following information:
1. The name you wish to use as the beneficiary of
the fund.
2. Your Confidential Phone and Fax Numbers.
Further discussion will be centered on how the fund
shall be transfer and full details on how to
accomplish this great opportunity of ours.
3.Age
4.Occupation
5.Marital status
Thank you and God bless.
Best regards,
ENGR.PAUL BELLO

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam