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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: "kwesimartins004 Gazeta.pl" <kwesimartins@gmail.com>
Reply-To: kwesimartins001@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 17:40:21 +0100
Subject: The Manager Standard Chartered Bank


*From: Kwesi Martins.
The Manager Standard Chartered Bank,
First Light Branch
Accra Ghana.

Attn:

I got your contact during my search for a reliable, honest and a trustworthy
person to entrust this huge transfer project with.
My name is Mr. Kwesi Martins. I am the manager of the Standard Chartered
Bank, First Light Branch, Accra Ghana . I am a Ghanaian, married with two
kids.
I am writing to solicit for your assistance in the transfer of funds valued
at $5,620,000.00 (five million six hundred and twenty thousand United States
Dollars.)

This fund is the excess of what my branch in which I am the Manager made as
profit during the last annual audition. I have already submitted an approved
end of the year report for the year 2007 to my head office in Accra here and
they will never know of this excess. I have since then, placed this amount
of value $5,620,000.00 USD in a suspense escrow account without a
beneficiary.

As an officer of the bank, I cannot directly be connected to this money thus
I am impelled to request for your assistance to receive this Money into your
bank account. I intend to part 30% of this fund to you as compensation while
70% shall be for me. I do stress that there are practically no risk involved
in this. It is going to be a bank- to -bank transfer. All I need from is to
stand as the original depositor of the fund.
If you accept this offer, I will appreciate your timely response.

Yours Sincerely,
Kwesi Martins.*

Anti-fraud resources: