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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "huge deposit" (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 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.
  • mr.peteradams82@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: peter adams <peteradams2004@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <mr.peteradams82@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:09:12 +0100
Subject: IN SEARCH OF A NEXT-OF-KIN TO MY LATE FRIEND.



Dear Sir/Madam, I am sure this mail will come to you as a suprise aswe have not met before but please feel free to writeme back and let me know if you can be of help. I havedecided to contact you via this medium due to mypresent situation.I am Mr. Peter Adams, I was a goodfriend to Late Mr. Roy.J Smith, a national of yourcountry,who until his death has no wife no son ordaughter to claim his assets hence he was buried here. He was a contractor and has spent most of his life inmy country Nigeria. Mr. Roy J.Smith, was involvedin a car accident along Benin/Onitsha express road andunfortunately lost his life on the 27th day ofSeptember 2004 at Onitsha. Since then I have madeseveral enquiries to your country embassy to locateany of my friends extended relatives, this has alsoproved unsuccessful hence: he has no next-of-kin atthe time of his death. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decidedto contact you since all my effort to trace or locateany member of his family failed, so that you as aforeigner will assist me as my late friend's next-of-kinin repatriating his assets and Capital valued atUS$7.5million left behind by my friend before it getsconfiscated by the bank where these huge deposits werelodged as treasury bills. The said Bank in Nigeria has issued me a notice toprovide the next of Kin or have the treasury billconfiscated. Since I have been unsuccessful inlocating any of my friend's relatives for over NineMonths now, I seek the consent to present you as theNext-of-kin to the deceased since both of you shares the same nationality,the proceeds ofthis treasury bill can be paid to you. Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, weshall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalitiesfor claim. I have all the necessary information neededto back you up for the claim. All I require from youis your honest cooperation to enable us see thistransaction through. I guarantee that this will be executed under alegitimate arrangement that will protect you from anybreach of the law. Contact me on my secure email address:(mr.peteradams82@yahoo.com) I wait to hear from yousoon.
Best regards,
Mr. Peter Adams.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam