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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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 friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand u.s 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)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • frankekeprivatemail@o2.pl (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: FRANK EKE <eke-frankeke13@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <frankekeprivatemail@o2.pl>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:51:46 +0100
Subject: HELP URGENTLY PLEASE



Dear Friend Compliments. My name is Barrister Frank Eke (Esq). I am writing to inform you, that you happen to be the next of kin to my late client, an oil contractor who died in an oil pipeline explosion in 2002 where he was assigned for a maintenance culture of the shell out reach in Nigeria and the money for the contract was paid into his account before his death and only his kin that bears the same surname can come for the claim and for the past 5 years nobody has come, I am contacting you to come forward for the claim of the funds so the money can be paid to you after which you would pay me 20% of the total amount as payment for my legal fees and holding fees for the past 5 years. The policy of the Bank however stipulates a limited time period for such inheritance to be made or the fund will be written off going by the record of the incident, the time limit for the claim is closing up. In this consideration, I am contacting you to make haste for your right,remember the total sum of money is US$10.5Million (Ten million, five hundred thousand U.S dollars only). Contact me back for further instructions on how to proceed to claim these funds, providing me your private telephone numbers for easy communication, you can also write me through my altanative email address (frankekeprivatemail@o2.pl) Yours truly, Barrister. Frank Eke
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam