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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery 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:
  • "money laundering" ("anti-terrorist", "anti-money laundering" or "drug-free" certificates are a common way for criminals in fake lottery scams and other Advance Fee scams to get you to send money to them. There are no such certificates in the real banking world. )
  • "million us 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)
  • "hundred thousand us 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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "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)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: Murphy Kwame <murphykwame36@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: murphykwame090@myway.com
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:33:19 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Your urgent attention is required


Good Day,

My name is Mr. Murphy Kwame, a banker here in Ghana. I write you this proposal in good faith and hope that you will be of assistance. In 2000 Mr. Christian Goetz a German citizen and businessman, made a fixed deposit for 60 calendar months, valued at Fourteen Million, Six hundred Thousand US Dollars (US$14,600,000.00) with my bank. I was his account officer before I rose to the position of manager. The maturity date for this deposit contract was 20th of January 2005. I have tried my possible best to locate Mr. Goetz to notify him about this, but all my efforts proved abortive. I later discovered that Mr. Christian Goetz and his wife were involved in the plane crash of CONCORDE AIRLINE [Flight AF4590], which crashed on 25TH JULY 2000 in France. You shall read more news about the crash on visiting this site, which I got during my investigation;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
Now, a new Financial Law, which takes effect in two month? time, here in Ghana stipulates that any bank account more than $5,000,000.00 [Five Million US Dollars] will be investigated and the bank shall produce the account owner for clearance. This is a Government measure to check money laundering. Since the account has no named beneficiary, I am seeking your co-operation to present you as the legal beneficiary to the account before the time elapses, as you are a foreigner, so that my bank head quarters will release the funds to your bank account. It is only a foreigner who can claim the funds in the account and I guarantee for a risk-free transaction. Let me know how much in percent (%) that you would like to take for us to work together. While I wait for your urgent reply, please, treat as top secret I am the only person having this information.
Regards,
Mr. Murphy Kwame.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam