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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:

• 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)
  • "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.
  • +22998110718 (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.
  • info.apexoffice1@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "chris beto" <chrisbeto5@gala.net>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 08:44:06 +0100
Subject: Contact Apex Courier for your bank draft


Contact Apex Courier for your bank draft


(Church of Latter Day Saints)
06 BP 1409 Akpakpa Domey
Cotonou,Benin Republic.

Dear Friend,


Greetings to you & your Family.I have been waiting for you since to contact
me for your Confirmable Bank Draft of ($1.2m) United States Dollars, but I
have not heard from you since then,so I went and deposited the Draft with
Apex Courier And Delivery Company ,Cotonou,Benin Republic before I
travelled out of the country for a short Course and I will spend three
months overseas.What you have to do now, is to contact Apex Courier And
Delivery 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 delivery Charges.The only money you will send to Apex Courier
Company And Delivery Company to deliver your Draft direct to your home
Address in your country is ($106) only,being their Security Keeping Fee of
the Courier Company.I would have paid that but they said no because they did
not know when you would contact them and in case of demurrage.You have to
contact the Apex Courier Company now for the delivery of your Draft with
this information bellow.

Apex Courier Company

Contact Person Dr Nelson Febain
E-mail: info.apexoffice1@sify.com

Phone +229-98-11-07-18
Registration Reference No; wwdsc/xxx/100
Code Number:xxxdcsc/6545

Finally, make sure that you reconfirm your home 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 $106 for their immediate action.You should also Let me know through email
as soon as you receive your Draft.

Note. Apex 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 package. Do not let them know
the contents I am waiting to hear the good news from you.

Regards,

Pastor Paul Bosi

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam