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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +22997494213 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • prince_johnson65@excite.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Prince Johnson" <princejohnson05@gala.net>
Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 17:20:20 +0100
Subject: Greetings from Mr. Prince Johnson


FROM THE DESK OF MR.PRINCE JOHNSON
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A)
COTONOU BENIN REPUBLIC

Dear Friend,

(CONFIDENTIAL)

I can't imagine how you will feel receiving a sudden business letter from a
remote country in far away Benin Republic west africa and probably from some
one you have not closely related with. but all the same, i belive we do not
need to be of blood relatives before we can establish cordial/Business
relationship. having said this, i think it is very important at this
juncture to introduce myself to you.

I am the manager of auditing and accounting department of BANK OF AFRICA
(B.O.A) here in cotonou, Benin Republic. In my department we discovered an
abandoned sum of US$10.m dollars (TEN Million US dollars) in an account that
belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR. RICHARD BURSON from Florida,
U.S.A) who died along with his entire family on November 1999 in a plane
crash.For more informations about the crash you can visit this site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/502503.stm

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin to come over and claim his money because we can not release it unless
some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as
indicated in our banking guidlings and laws but unfortunately we learnt that
all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the
plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this
discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you,so that
the money can be release to you as the next of kin or relation to the
deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody will come for
it and we don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed
dormant fund.

The banking law and guidline here stipulates that if such money remained
unclaimed after ten years the money will be transfered into the bank
treasury as unclaimed dormant fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin
in this business is occassioned by the fact that the customer was a
foreigner and a Beniniose like me can not stand as next of kin to a
foreigner.

I agreed that 30% of this money will be for you as a respect to the
provision of a foriegn account ,10% will be set aside for expenses incurred
during the business and 60% would be for me.Thereafter, I will visit your
country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated Therefore, to
enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you arranged,you must apply
first to the bank as relation or next of kin to the deceased customer with a
text of application that i will send to you,but before i send to you the
text of application form,I will like you to send me the following
informations

1.NAME IN FULL:................................
2.ADDRESS:.......................................
3.NATIONALITY:...................................
4.AGE:.............................................
5.Sex..............................................
6.OCCUPATION:......................................
7.MARITAL STATUS:..................................
8.PRIAVTE PHONE NO............................................
9.PRIVATE FAX NO:.............................................

so i will like you to send to me those informations for easy and effective
communication.
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of
the application form.I will not fail to bring to your notice that this
transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear
as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer. You should
contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter,if only you are
intrested and ready to help.

N/B: Reply to my private email: (prince_johnson65@excite.com) or call me on
+229-974-94213
Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Yours Faithfully,
MR.Prince Johnson
MANAGER AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT
BANK OF AFRICA

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam