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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge deposit" (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)
  • "million 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)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • olatundewilliams11@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Olatunde Williams" <olatundewilliams@interfel.com.br>
Reply-To: olatundewilliams11@yahoo.com
Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 14:29:38 -0300
Subject: OBJECTIVE OF MUTAUL BENEFIT

FROM THE DESK OF :OLATUNDE WILLIAMS,
STANDARD TRUST BANK PLC,
Email:olatundewilliams11@yahoo.com

Greeting!

For this letter is strictly personal, intimate and confidential. Forgive this unusual manner of contacting you, but this particular letter is of exceptional and very private nature.

There is absolutely going to be a great doubt and distrust in your heart in respect of this email, coupled with the fact that, so many miscreants have taken possession of the Internet to facilitate their nefarious deeds,thereby making it extremely difficult for genuine and legitimate business class persons to get attention and recognition.

There is no way for me to know whether I will be properly understood, but it is my duty to write and reach out to you. For I know that you can be trusted to handle this project effectively without making me regret.

I am an Accountant with STANDARD TRUST BANK PLC,I am writing this letter to ask for your support and cooperation to carry out this business opportunity in my department i am the Personal Accountant to Engr.Ronald,a contractor with the Department of Petroleum Resources(DPR)and,who here-in after shall be referred to as my client,on the January 27, 2002 my client,and his family were involved in Ikeja bomb blast unfortunately they lost their lives in the process of the bomb blast.

Since then,i have made several inquiries to his country's embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful.After these several unsuccessful attempts,i decided to trace over the Internet,to locate any member of his family hence my contact with you.

I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Bank where these huge deposits were lodged, particularly with the Standard Trust Bank Plc,where the deceased had an account valued at about (USD16,311 Million United States Dollars).

Since i have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over some years now,i seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased to have the account confiscated within the next Ten(10) official working days.

The reason for contacting you is because you are a foreigner and can act in the capacity of the next of kin to my deceased client,and as such will enable a change of ownership through the bank,so that the proceeds of this account valued at (USD16,311 Million United States Dollars),can be paid into your account as the heir of the fund since no one came for it,then you and i can share the money in this rotio 50% to me,35% to you and 10%for any charity organization in your country,while 5% will be set aside for unforeseen bottlenecks we might incur during the course of this transaction.

For clarity,this transaction is 100% risk free and you have nothing to worry about as all necessary machineries will putted in place to make sure this funds is paid to you as the legitimate beneficiary to it.

For confirmation, please refer to the links below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2718295.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/worald/africa/2698081.stm
http://www:worldsocialist-cwi.org/index2.html?/eng/2002/02/02.html

Trust is definitely the most noble trait in the world, and I urge you to trust my sincerity and the word of a simple and humble person of faith, who in the name of love for her equals is willing to accomplish the task of doing business with a trusted and transparent person. It is up to you to decide whether this letter deserves your trust and confidentiality.

Thank you for accommodating my enquiry.

Best personal regards.

Olatunde Williams.

 

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam