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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
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• 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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "any lucrative business in your country" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: MARRY AHMED <marryahmed1@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <sistermarry_ahmed@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:21:27 +0000
Subject: PLEASE MY DEAR IN THE LORD, I NEED YOUR HELP.



From: Miss Marry Ahmed,Cotonou Benin. Dearest, I am sending you this proposal with deep concerned as to seek for your help out of my present situation. I am Miss Marry Ahmed, the only daughter of (Late) Mr. & Mrs Vivian Ahmed, my mother died when I was only six years old of age then my father been a caring man took very good care of me till Friday, December 26, 2003 that all my joy turn to sorrow on one of his business trip to Dubai, they got a plane crash which cost his lifein Benin plane crash. There is this amount of (US $5 .7M) (Five Million Seven Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) which my father deposited in the Bank here in Cotonou before his untimely death. My father was a highly reputable businessman; he deals in Café and Cocoa seeds. He died on the Friday, December 26, 2003 in a plane crash on his way to Dubai. See the BBCNEWS website of the crash. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/index.html. Now I have decided to invest this money in you
r country or anywhere safe enough outside Cotonou to political crisis here in my country. I want you to help me transfer and invest this money in any lucrative business in your country considering my age and not having any experience about investment-especially of the magnitude this will require. I want immediately the money is transferred to you I will come over to your country to continue my education under your care. If you can be of a sincere assistance to me, please do get back to me for more details. I await your immediate response. Thanks and God bless you,Miss Marry Ahmed.
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam