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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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:
  • "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)
  • "million 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: miriam kolo <miriamkolo19@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <miriamkolo11@myway.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2007 04:58:00 -0600
Subject: Good Day


AB 01 COCODYTreshville Abidjan My Name is Miriam; I worked as a maid to Mr. ROBERT BUTLER an American, who used to be a contractor with an oil servicing company based here in Cote D’Ivoire. Last year,{Jan. 2006} my master died of a serious illness, but before his death, he told me in confidence of a fund of Twenty Seven Million dollars (US$27,000,000.00) which he concealed in two trunk boxes and deposited with a finance House in Cote D’Ivoire. However, the Finance house does not know the true content of the trunk to be cash as my Master declared upon deposit as containing art craft for export. Because of the fast deteriorating state of his health, he was afraid that he might die loosing all he has in a foreign country. He instructed me that if he dies, I should try everything within my capability to make sure that his fund at the safe keeping house gets into the hands of the less privileged in his home country and he handed over the documents of this deposit to me with a written instruction. I have contacted the finance house over this issue, but they refused to release the trunk Boxes to me, unless I bring any of Mr. ROBERT BUTLER'S relatives. This is a very tough situation for me, because since I lived with my master, he has not mentioned any of his family or extended relatives and Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over a year now, I seek your consent to present you to the finance house as an extended relative of my master so that the trunk boxes can be released to you and you will use some part of the money inside for the good purpose of my master while the both of us share the remaining.
If you can handle this with me, kindly respond back immediately and we will negotiate on what will be given to you for your kind effort.
Thanking you for your cooperation.
Miriam

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam