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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
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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.

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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:
  • "escrow account with no beneficiary" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "necessary legal documents" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "there are practically no risks involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Kla Briggs <infibriggs1@yahoo.it>
Reply-To: kla_briggsprivate@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2008 12:29:03 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: WITH YOUR DUE RESPECT


Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana ltd
Takoradi Branch.

Good Day,

This email transmission is coming to you from my residence because of it's confidential status. However, this letter contains some confidential materials and should be deleted from your mail box indicating that you are not interested concerning the proposal. For the formality of this transaction I would appreciate introducing myself, My name is Mr.Briggs Kla, I am the regional manager of Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana Takoradi branch in the Volta region of Ghana. I got your information in the Internet. On a recent bank conference with other West African countries held in Lome the capital city of Togo in West Africa. I write you this proposal in good faith; I am 57 years old married with Two lovely kids. I am a devoted Christian and a man of peace. in my next mail i will send to you my family picture for you to know whom you are going to deal with,

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the regional manager of the Standard Chartered Bank it is my duty to send in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year. On the course of the last year 2007 business report, I discovered that my branch in which I am the manager made Six Million Two hundred thousand united state dollars ($6.200.000.00) which my head office are not aware of and will never be aware of. I have placed this funds on what we call escrow account with no beneficiary. As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank account and get 40% of the total funds as commission.

There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank transfer, and all I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of these funds who made the deposit with my branch so that my head office can order the transfer to your designated bank account. I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any claim we may make, all i require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this deal though. the information i require from you is this;

(1) Your full name
(2) Address
(3) Telephone/ fax number.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law,

Yours Faithfully
Mr.Briggs Kla





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Inviato da Yahoo! Mail.
La casella di posta intelligente.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam