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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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 british pounds" (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)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447024096922 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "walter White" <walt1@hosaby.no-ip.org>
Reply-To: walterwhite1111@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:00:49 +0100
Subject: Letter !!!

Mr.Walter White
Senior Audit Officer
Natwest Bank Group
UK.

Dear Friend,

I am Mr.Walter White Senior Audit Officer of Natwest Bank Group UK. Natwest Bank
London. I am writing following an opportunity in my office that will be of immense benefit to both of us.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of£20.5million British Pounds
Sterling (Twenty million five hundred thousand British Pounds) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers Late Mr. Morris Thompson an American who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his wife and only daughter. You shall read more about the crash on visiting this site.

http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin or relatves 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 guidelines.

Unfortunately I learnt that his supposed next of kin being his only daughter died along with him in the plane crash leaving nobody with the knowledge of this fund behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I and two other officials in this department now decided to make business with you and release the money to you as the next of kin or beneficiary of the funds for safety keeping and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go back into Government treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that such money remained after
six years the money will be transferred into banking treasury as unclaimed funds.

We agreed that 35% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, while the balance will be for me and my colleagues. I will visit your country for the disbursement ccording to the percentages indicated above once this money gets into your account.Please be honest to me and trust is our watchword in this transaction.

Note this transaction is confidential and risk free.As soon as you receive this mail you should contact me by return mail.Please note that all necessary arrangement for the smooth release of these funds to you has been finalised. We will discuss much in details when I do receive your response. Please if you are interested in this project contact me for further directives.

Best regards

Mr.Walter White
+447024096922

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam