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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.

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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:
  • "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 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)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: <p_bankole@centrum.cz>
Date:
Subject: Can you Be My Next Of Kin?

=46rom Mr Prince Bankole

My name is Mr Prince Bankole, a Banker and accountant with a prime ban=
k here Abidjan. I am the personal accounts manager to Engr.Miller Lara,=
a National of your country, who used to work with an oil servicing com=
pany here in Cote D=92 Ivoire.

My client, his wife, and their three children were involved in the ill =
fated Kenya Airways crash in the coasts of Abidjan in January 2003 in w=
hich all passengers on board died. Since then I have made several inqui=
ries to your embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives but=
has been unsuccessful After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided t=
o trace his last name over the internet, to see if I could locate any m=
ember of his family hence I contacted you. Of particular interest is th=
is huge deposit with our bank here in, where the deceased has an accoun=
t valued at about ($8.5 million US dollars).=20

They have issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or the bank wil=
l declare the account unserviceable and thereby send the funds to the b=
ank treasury.=20

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over last =
2 years now, I will seek your consent to present you as the next of kin=
of the deceased since you have the same last names, so that the procee=
ds of this account valued at ($8.5million US dollars) can be paid to yo=
u and then you and I can share the money.=20

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this deal =
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under all legitimate ar=
rangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. In your rep=
ly mail, I want you to give me your full names, address, date of birth,=
telephone and fax numbers for proper communications.

Thanking you for your anticipated cooperation
Mr Prince Bankole.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam