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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "certified bank draft" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a "New Partner from Paraguay" 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.
  • tonyadams146@yahoo.it (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: peter_udo@freenet.de
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:57:19 +0200
Subject: CONTACT MY SECRETARY


Dear Friend,
Compliments!!

I am very happy to inform you about my
success in getting the fund transferred under the cooperation of a new
partner from Japan. Presently I am in Japan for investment projects with
him. Meanwhile, I didn\'t forget your past efforts and attempts to
assist me in transferring those funds despite that it failed us some
how. Now contact my secretary in Cotonou Benin Republic, his name is
Tony Adams, on his e-mail address: tonyadams146@yahoo.it ask him to send
you the total sum of $950,000.00 which was made in a Certified Bank
Draft for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to
assist me in this matter.

I appreciated your efforts at that time very
much. So feel free and get in touched with my secretary Tony Adams,
Kindly reconfirm to him the following below information:

Your full
name:
Your address:
Your direct phone number:
Please do let me know
immediately you receive it so that we can share the joy after all the
sufferings at that time. In the moment, I am very busy here because of
the investment projects which me and the new partner are having at hand,
finally, remember that I had forwarded instruction to my secretary on
your behalf to receive that money, so feel free to get in touch with him
on his email: tonyadams146@yahoo.it, and he will send the Bank Draft to
you without any delay.

With best regards,
Mr. Peter Udo



Unbegrenzter Speicher, Top-Spamschutz, 120 SMS und eigene E-MailDomain
inkl.
http://office.freenet.de/dienste/emailoffice/produktuebersicht/power/mail/index.html

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam