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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)
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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:
  • "hundred thousand united states 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)
  • "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)
  • "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • +2348022738775 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "peterfoxs21 Gazeta.pl" <peterfoxs21@gazeta.pl>
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 12:07:59 +0100
Subject: WORK WITH US


Engineer Peter Foxs,
Department of Budget and Planning
Ministry of Petroleum,
Lagos-Nigeria
Tel: +234-802-2738775

Your candid attn:

REF: URGENT CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL.

Most competent people are choosen for competent jobs and assignments, and
with that due respect have we also choosen to select you and contact you on
this very confidential matter. Our Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and industry
offers variety of names of notable people from your part of the Globe. That
was where I got your information from. Therefore, after due deliberation
with my partners, we decided to forward to you this proposal. We believe
that you would be in a position to help us in our bid to transfer the sum of
US$41.5M(Forty-0ne million, five hundred thousand dollars only) into a
foreign account. We shall make it 100% legal as much possible as you would
want.

We are members of the special committee for budget and planning of the
Ministry of Petroleum. This committee is principally concerned with contract
appraisals and approval of contracts in order of priorities as regards
CAPITAL PROJECTS of the Federal Government of Nigeria. With our positions,
we have successfully secured for ourselves the sum of Forty-one Million,
Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars(US$41.5M).

We are working with the present Democratically elected Government in my
country, and we are seeking the support of Foreign Government to win the
next election coming up, which the race has started. So they have given
directive to all Federal Parastatals to settle all Foreign Contractors being
owed for contract that they have done. Therefore, our plan is to include
your name as one of the contractors being owed in our corporation.

What we need from you is to provide a safe Account into which the funds will
be transferred since Government Officials in my country are not allowed by
our laws to Operate Foreign Accounts. It has been agreed that you will be
compensated with US$8.3 Million of the remitted funds. US$31.125Million
belongs to us, while US$2.075Million will be set aside to offset expenses
and pay the necessary taxes.

It may interest you to know that two years ago a similar transaction was
carried out with one Mr. Patrice Miller, the C.E.O of Crane International
Trading Corporation at number 135, East 57th street, 28th floor, New York
10022, with Telephone (212)308-7788 and Telex Number 6731689. After the
agreement between both of us in which he was to take 25% of the money as his
share, the money was duly transferred into his Account. We were disappointed
on our arrival in New York as we were reliably informed that Mr. Patrice
Miller was no longer on that address while his Telephone and Telex Numbers
have been reallocated to somebody else. That was how we lost US$27.5M to
Mr.Patrice Miller.

This time around we would not want you to be like that. We need a more
reliable and trustworthy person and a reputable Company to do this business
with, hence we contacted you. So if you can prove yourself to be trusted and
interested in this deal then we are prepared to do business with you. What
we want from you is the assurance that you will let us have our share when
this amount of US$41.5M is transferred into your account.

If this proposal satisfies you, please contact us, so we can advice you on
the modalities of the transaction. All modalities of this transfer, have
been worked out and once started will not take more than 7 Banking days with
the absolute support of all concerned. This transaction is 100% safe and
risk free now and after the transfer. Kindly treat this as urgent and very
confidential.

Best regards.
Engineer Peter Foxs,
Department of Budget and Planning
Ministry of Petroleum,
Lagos-Nigeria
Tel: +234-802-2738775

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam