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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• 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:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "trunk box" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "trunk boxes" (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)
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash)
• This email message is a orphan scam.
• 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.
  • ahmidzaheed@inbox.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Ahmid Zaheed <ahmidzaheed@rediffmail.com>
Reply-To: accentagency@fsmail.net
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:37:50 +0000
Subject: Seeking investment assistance.


Good day,
This is Ahmid Zaheed the first son of a late Habib Zaheed, a fish merchant and a millionaire Mogul of Saudi Arabia who died of Esophageal cancer three years ago. I am contacting you because of my present need to engage in a mutually beneficial business partnership with person whom I have not had dealings with before and who has the great passion to assist people who are in need. It is imperative that I inform you that this is not one of those numerous scam emails you might have received in the past where you are being required by some conmen to sign out a blank cheque or give out your personal information or bank account in order to perpetrate their illicit scam scheme,please note that this transaction is very legitimate and all we need is your partnership.
I am therefore contacting you to assist me in channeling the sum of $5 Million U.S Dollars belonging to my late father into a productive investment ventures in your country. The money was reserved by my late father for the acquisition of New Marchineries and coldroom equipments meant for expanding his fishing business in Saudi Arabia. This funds was arranged in two trunk boxes by my late father and was deposited with a security company in the United Kingdom but the content of the trunk boxes was declared to the security company as African art meant for export to his foreign partner for security reason.
Three years after the death of my father, the security company in the United Kingdom where the funds was deposited addressed a letter to us that the term agreed on with my late father concerning the deposited trunk boxes containing the said $5 million dollars has expired and the consignment must be immediately cleared out of their company but also requires the presence of the foreign partner to my late father on whose behalf the consignment was deposited.
As a 20 years old boy,in view of this, I am contacting you to present you as the foreign partner to my late father on whose behalf the consignment was deposited so that you can assist us retrieve the $5 million dollars from the security company and then apply the funds on a lucrative investment of your choice in your country. For your efforts,I am willing to compensate you with 20% of the funds.
I shall be expecting your response in order to furnish you with details of the funds. All replies in response of this mail shall be directed to my private email address: ahmidzaheed@inbox.com. Thank you. May this mail receive its earliest attention
Yours faithfully
Ahmid Zaheed

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam