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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• 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:

• 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:
  • "will 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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • godswillt@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "philip brown" <philsolicitor05@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 02 Nov 2006 13:04:21 +0000
Subject: Good day


Dear Sir,

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise, Please accept the
Content in good faith. I do not intend to cause any grief to you and your
family. The reason for sending this mail is very fundamental to the doctrine
of human privileges and right. My name is BARRISTER GODSWILL MICHEAL THABO.
a legal practitioner with the Faegre & Benson law firm based in London and
the personal Attorney to late MR BUIK, a national of your country who died
along with his wife and the only son who died in the Tube explosion between
King's Cross-and Russell Square in London.

My client was a successful and is an accomplished family man, who made
enough fortune before his untimely death. Since then I had made several
inquiries through your Embassy to locate any of my clients extended relative
but this exercise has proved unsuccessful. After several unsuccessful
attempts, I decided to trace his relatives through the Internet, to locate
any member of his family, not much progress was recorded. My late client was
an influential wealthy businessman, an oil magnet here in London and he left
behind a deposit of Twelve Million Two Hundred thousand United States
Dollars only (12.2Million USD) in his domiciliary bank account in a
commercial bank here in London.

After the death of my client, his bankers contacted me as his Attorney to
provide his next of kin who should inherit his funds. The board of directors
of his bank adopted a resolution and I was mandated to provide his next of
kin for the payment of this fund within 28 Working days or forfeit the money
to the bank as an abandoned property.
The bankers had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996 to
confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given to me.

Fortunately, I came across your name, to my greatest astonishment, I
discovered that you bear the same surname with my late client and
coincidentally, you are nationals of the same country. Being convinced that
you may be related with my late client or that you might provide clue to my
search, I therefore, decided to contact you with these facts before me,
because of the similarities. By virtue of my closeness to the deceased and
his immediate family, I am very much aware of my client financial standing
and the bank account he operates.

I have reasoned very professionally and I feel it will be legally proper to
present you as the next of kin of my deceased client, so that you can be
paid the funds left in his bank account. I therefore seek your consent to
present you as the Next of Kin to the Deceased and equally from the same
country that the proceeds of this Bank Account valued at 12.2 million
Dollars can be paid to you.
We shall both share the funds. 40% for you and 55% to me, while 5% should be
for Expenses or your Government may require Taxes.

I shall assemble all the necessary Legal Documents that will be used to back
up our claim. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us seeing
this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law.
Please kept this business confidential and reply me through my private email
address:
godswillt@hotmail.com


Best Regards,

Barrister GODSWILL MICHEAL THABO.

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam