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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "your urgent reply" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "utmost confidentiality" (they don't want anyone to point out to you that this is a scam)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +2348022688161 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • phil_andersonoffice@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: PHILIP ANDERSON <phil_andersonoffice@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: ed_uba@myway.com
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:49:26 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: GET BACK TO ME NOW!


Mr.Phillip Anderson
UNITED BANK OF AFRICA ,
Lagos - Nigeria.
PHONE:+234-8022-688161
Email: phil_andersonoffice@yahoo.com

Dear Sir,
I am Mr.Phillip Anderson, from UNITED BANK OF AFRICA , Lagos Branch. I got your contact while searching for a reliable someone to contact for this transaction.
An America Oil consultant/ contractor with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,Mr.Ronald Lake made a numbered time (fixed) deposit for twelve calendar months, valued at $15,500,000.00 (Fifteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars)in my branch.
Upon maturity I sent a rountine notification to his forwarded address but got no reply.After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that Mr.Ronald Lake, of Corte Madera, California unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31th 2000, including his wife Joyce Lake http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/
Therefore, on further investigation, I found out that he died without making a WILL, and attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.
I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr.Ronald Lake did not declareany next of kin or relations in all his official documents, including his bank deposit paperwork in my bank. This sum of US$15,500,000.00 is still in my bank and the interest is being rolled over with the pricipal sum at the end of each year. No one has ever come forward to claim it.
According to Nigerian law, at the expiration of(five) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the Nigerian Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.
Consequently,my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the "next of kin" to Mr.Ronald Lake. Please on your acceptance to workout this transaction,do provide me with your full name and address so that I will prepare the necessary documents which will put you in place as the next of kin and the money will be transfered to any bank account in any part of
the world which you will provide as the beneficiary/next of kin.
There is no risk at all, the paperwork for this transaction will be done and my position guarantees the successful execution of this transaction.
If you are interested and know that you will not sit on this money after its
successful transfer to you, please reply immediately ,I shall provide you with more details on what to do. Please observe utmost confidentiality and be rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us.

Awaiting your urgent reply.

Thanks and regards,

Mr.Phillip Anderson.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam