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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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)
  • "million us 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)
  • "can i trust you?" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "there is no risk involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "irvin irvin" <i-1198@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: shawn_irvin88@myway.com
Date: Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:17:04 +0000
Subject: Urgent need of your co-operation:

From: Max L Hansen Sgt: Third (3rd) infantry Division US Military Iraq
Direct
Dear Friend,

My name is Sgt. Irvin Shawn I am an American soldier, serving in the
military with the Third (3rd) infantry Division in Iraq. I and my superior
after going on a rampage on Saddam Hussein palace in Baghdad discovered a
substantial amount of money. You may need to check out the following BBC
website to confirm more of our discovery which was made known to the
government, but this particular one is a top secret:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm
This fund in question was moved to a secure place with the assistance of our
contact person in UK (A private attorney of our UK military colleague); the
total is $25,000,000.00 (Twenty Five million US dollars).Basically since we
are working for the government we cannot keep these funds in our bank
account. It is on this juncture that we decided to seek your assistance to
keep this money for us in your account or an offshore account controlled by
you.
There is no risk involved whatsoever. If you are interested I will send you
the full details, my job is to find a good partner that we can trust and
that will assist us. Can I trust you? To ensure confidentiality, when you
receive this letter, kindly reply me via e-mail signifying your interest
including your confidential telephone/fax numbers for quick communication
and also your contact details for identification.
You can see photo of counting involving some petit officers in my unit.
Respectfully submitted,
Sgt.Irvin Shawn.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam