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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (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)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • abudul_1@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "hassan abudul" <abudul_hassan111@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 09:27:55 +0000
Subject: PROFITS ASSITANCE NEEDED

FROM THE DESK OF Mr.ABUDUL HASSAN.
MANEGER BILL AND EXHANGE UNIT
BANK OF AFRICA(BOA)
OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO.

TOP SECRET
Dear Friend

I am abudul hassan the bill and exchange manager at the foreign remittance
department of BANK OF AFRICA.

I got your contact from the internet ,while seaching for an honest and trust
worthy person, who will assist me to implement this transfer.

l discovered the sum of Twenty Five million and five hundred thousand United
States Dollars (USD25.5M) belonging to a deceased customer of this bank. The
fund has been lying in a suspence account without anybody coming to put
claim over the money since the account owner late Mr Salla khatif from
Lebanese , who was involved in the December 25th 2003 Benin plane crash.
Here is the air crash website on cnn =
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/index.html

The said fund is now ready for transfer to a foriegn account whose owner
will be portrayed as the beneficiary and next of kin to the deceased
customer of the bank.

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next if
kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless
somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as
indicated in our banking guidlines and laws but unfortunately we learnt that
all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the
plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery that I decided to make this business
proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation
to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is
coming for it and I don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as
unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidline here stipulates that if such money remained
unclaimed after five years, the money will be transfered into the bank
treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this
business is occassioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a
Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

I therefore soliciting for your assistance to come forward as the next of
kin.

I have agreed that 40% of this money will be for you as the beneficiary in
respect of the provision of your Account and services rendered, 55% would be
for me while 5% will be for expencses incured during the cause of thIS
transaction If the money is transferred to your Account from
BANK OF AFRICA, I and my family in this transaction will proceed immediately
to your country for our own share of the money.

I expect you to keep this business strictly confidential and secret as you
may wish to know that
I am Bank official.

Be rest assured that this business is 100% risk free on both side and every
arrangement to transfer this money to the Account you are going to provide
have been concluded provided we maintain the confidentiality and
secreceirity involved. Contact me on my email address I am looking forward
for your prompt response: abudul_1@yahoo.com. Yours faithfully,

MR.ABUDUL HASSAN

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam