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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
  (+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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge amount of money" (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)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
  • "cotonou" (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.
  • +22993867094 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "johnson wasso" <jwasso13@ig.com.br>
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 19:50:47 +0100
Subject:


*(HILL & COUNSELORS AT LAW)
06 BP 1409 AKPAKPA DODOMEY
COTONOU REPUBLIC OF BENIN.

Dear Friend,

Greetings to you & your Family.I have been waiting for you since to contact
me for your Confirmable Bank Draft of ($2.5m) United States Dollars, but I
did not hear from you since then ,Then I went and deposited the Draft
with FEDEX
COURIER COMPANY,Cotonou,Benin Republic, before I travelled out of the
country for a short Course and i will not come back untill three
months.What you have to do now is to contact the FEDEX COURIER COMPANY as
soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package to you because
of the expiring date.For your information, *
**
*I have paid for the delivering Charges.,The only money you will send to the
Courier & Security Company to deliver your Draft direct to your postal
Address in your country is ($105) only being their Securit y Keeping Fee of
the Courier Company so far.Again, Do not be deceive by anybody to pay any
other money except $105,I would have paid that but they said no because they
don't know when you will contact them and in case of demurrage.You have to
contact the FEDEX COURIER COMPANY now for the delivery of your Draft with
this information bellow.FEDEX COURIER COMPANY Benin Republic.

E-mail: ( **fedex-express-courier911@live.fr* * )*
*Contact number;+229-9386-7094
Registration Reference No; wwdsc/xxx/100
Shipping Code:AA22OQ**

Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your Postal address and Direct
telephone number to them again to avoid any mistake on the Delivery and
Let me repeat again,try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail to
avoid any further delay and remember to pay them their Security Keeping fee
of $105 for their immediate action.You should also Let me know through email
as soon as you receive your Draft.

Note. FEDEX COURIER COMPANY do not know the contents of the parcel.I
registered it as my photograph (pix) being sent to a friend overseas. They
do not know that it contains a bank draft of such a huge amount of
money.This is to avoid them tempering with the parkage. Do not let them
know the contents.i am waiting to hear the good news from you.

Regards,

Mr.Van Ben.** *

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam