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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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:
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: john ume <johnuu7@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 14:10:22 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Please Reply


Dear ,

I never knew how hard meeting someone was until I decided to dig myself out of my career, and I know that this mail would come to you as surprise as we have not met before, but after going through your profile I find it wise to inform you that it would be prudent I front you on a business venture I independently investigated/discovered in my place of work.

I am MR. John Ume the Manager In-charge of Foreign Remittance Department (Bill and Exchanger) in one of the Investment Banks here in Ghana. There is this amount of Money in millions of United States Dollars lying dormant in our bank for Seven (7) good years now without anybody coming for claim.
I personally investigated/discovered this amount and I want to front you as the beneficiary of the money so that the money would be released to you for us to share.

Over here Banking ethics does not allow such money to stay more than 10years, after the tenth year the money will be recalled to the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund and would be shared among the Directors and Shareholders.
Let us not allow this, so indicate your interest in the transaction, upon you response I shall send you full details and how the business will be executed.

Please keep this proposal as top secret and delete if you are not interested.

Regards,

MR. John Ume

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam