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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:

• 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:
  • "million 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)
  • ",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)
  • "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "utmost confidentiality" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "transaction is risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
  • "dormant account" (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 next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • johnsmith1847@yahoo.dk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "john2smith@cartagena.es" <john2smith@cartagena.es>
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:44:35 +0100 (CET)
Subject: From Mr.John Smith



>From Mr.John Smith
Email:johnsmith1847@yahoo.dk
Dearest,

I am Mr.John Smith, Director of the Auditing and Accounting Department ,Foreign Operations Department of a financial institution I work in. I have an urgent and confidential business proposal for you. On June 6, 1999, an American oil consultant/contractor with (N N P C) Mr. William Barnes made a 12 months numbered time (fixed) deposit worth US$ 30.000.000.00 (Thirty Million United State Dollars) with my bank.

This deposit was to secure the American contractor's bid for the job of constructing a pipeline from Nigeria to the Republic of Ghana to supply oil and gas around the West African Sub Region. On maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarded address but got no reply. After months we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employee (N N P C) that Mr. William Barnes was involved in a plane crash with Egyptian Airline 990 as you can see from the website below; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/world/americas/502503.stm

I therefore made some investigations and discovered that Late Mr. William Barnes did not declare any next of kin or relations in all his official documents including his deposit document in my bank. The total sum of US$30,000,000.00 is still in my bank as dormant account. No one will ever come forward to claim it, for according to our banking law, after 7 (SEVEN) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the Government . If the account owner is certified death and nobody comes forward to claim it.

This is the situation, and my proposal is that I am asking for your assistance to stand in as the beneficiary to Late Mr. William Barnes, for us to transfer the money. All you have to do is agree to work with me in this transfer . The money will be transferred into your designated account. After the transfer, I will visit your country for disbursement in the ratio of 30% (Thirty percent) for you, 10% (Ten percent) will be used to cover any contingency expense,10% (Ten percent) will be donated to charity,the rest will be for me. You do not need to worry, its 100% risk free and I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate Arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the Law.

I will use my position and connection in the bank here to do all the documentation work for the transaction. This transaction is risk free guaranteed. If you are interested, please reply confidentiality and be rest assured that this transaction could be most profitable for both of us. This transaction requires utmost confidentiality and secrecy. I will require that you send to me your.

1) Phone number;
2) Contact address;
3) Age;
4) Occupation and location;

Please Get back to me as soon as you can. Email: johnsmith1847@yahoo.dk

Best regards,

Mr. John Smith
Audit and Account Department.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam