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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: paul george <paulgeorge_6@yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: paulgeorge_11@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:10:17 +0100 (BST)
Subject: From Paul George


Hello,
Before I introduce myself, I wish to inform
you that this letter is not a hoax mail and I urge you to treat it
serious. We want to transfer to an overseas account, (20,000.000.00
GBP, Twenty million Great Britain Pounds) from a prime Bank here in
London.
I want to ask you, if you are not capable, to quietly look for
a reliable and honest person who will be capable and fit to provide
either an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank a/c immediately
to receive this money, even an empty a/c can serve to receive this
money, as long as you will remain honest to me till the end of this
important business i am trusting in you and believing in God that you
will never let me down either now or in future.
I am Mr. Paul George, presently promoted to Auditor General in Barclays Bank International PLC here in London, during our last auditoria meeting we found out that
there is an account that is lying dormant for so many years and we
have investigated on it and found out that the owner of the account by the name of Mr Thomas Stone From Columbus, Ohio, who died with his family in a plane crash on 1st November 1999 and since then we couldn't find any of the relations, he died without living any
will that is why we contacted you for assistance and at the conclusion of this business,
you will be given 30% of the total amount, 70% will be for us. PLEASE,
TREAT THIS PROPOSAL AS TOP SECRET.
Please do get back to me if you are
interested so that i will give you the other information that you need
to know.
View the website - http://news.bbc.co.
uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm
Regards,
Mr. Paul George


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