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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
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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:

• 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)
  • "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. )
  • "huge deposit" (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)
  • "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)
  • "lagos" (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.
  • +2348033807133 (Nigeria, 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.
  • corneliuscnwosu@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "sircorneliesnwosu1 Gazeta.pl" <sircorneliesnwosu1@gazeta.pl>
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 00:22:57 -0700
Subject: From:Sir,cornelies Nwosu


From:Sir,cornelies Nwosu
Tele:+234-803-3807133
Email : corneliuscnwosu@yahoo.com
UNITED BANK FOR AFIRCA [UBA]
Lagos Nigeria.

Dear Friend,

My name is SIR Cornelies Nwosu I am an Accountant with UNITED BANK FOR
AFIRCA [UBA]
I discovered an abandoned sum of 14million US dollars (Fourteen million
US dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers Fan
Liang who used to work with an Oil Development company in Nigeria
(NIGERIA NATIONAL PETROLUEM COMPANY) .Herein after shall be referred to as
my
client.

On April 12, 2003. my client, his wife, and their three children were
involved in a car accident along Sagamu express way. All occupants of
the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives. Since then I have made several
inquiries to your embassy to locate any of my clients extended
Relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several
unsuccessfulattempts,
I decided to trace name over the Internet, to atleast locate
any member of his immidiate family hence I contacted you.

I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property
left behind by my client before they Get confiscated or declared
unserviceable bythe bank where this huge deposits were lodged, particularly
the
UNITED BANK FOR AFIRCA [UBA]. Where the deceased had an account Valued at
about ($14
million u s dollars) has Issued me a notice to provide the next of kin.
Or have the account confiscated within the next ten official working days.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 2
years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the
deceased so that we can proceed in the transfering of this account valued at
($14million u s dollars) can be paid to you and then you and i Can
share the money.55% to me and 45% to you and 5% for any expenditure made
during
the repatriating of the fund into your account,an Aattorney will be
contracted to help revalidated and notarize all the 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 through. I guarantee that this
will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from
any breach of the law.

NOTE : You can reach me via my alternative email:

corneliuscnwosu@yahoo.com , or call me +234-803-3807133

I wait to hear from you asap.
Best regards
SIR Cornelies Nowsu

UBA

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam