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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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)
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "there are practically no risks involved" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "kennedy kwame" <kennedykwame29@gmail.com>
Reply-To: kennedykwame73@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 09:41:20 -0700
Subject: GOOD DAY


Mr. kennedy kwame.

Dear Friend,

My name is kennedy kwame, I am the regional manager of Barclays bank of
Ghana Takwaa branch. Am writing you this mail for something very important;
I am happily married with four lovely kids. I have been a banker for almost
10 years.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the
regional manager of my branch it is my duty to send in a financial report to
my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year.

On the course of the year 2007 business report, I discovered that my branch
in which I am the manager made Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand United
State Dollars($7.500,000)USD. I have placed this funds on what we call
escrow call account, this account is strictly for onward transfer, with no
beneficiary. As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to
this money in any way, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive
this money in your bank account and get 30% of the total funds as
commission, while 70 percent comes back to me. I placed you on 30% because I
believe this business now belongs to the both of us, and your efforts and
support is highly going to be involved as well. Up till date, no one has the
knowledge of the $7.500,000usd you are about to receive in your bank
account, and no one will ever know of it.

All you need to do is stand and claim as the original depositor and
beneficiary of the fund in my branch so that my head office can order the
transfer of the fund to your designated bank account. There are practically
no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank transfer. From the day you
applied, within 6 days the money should have been transferred and cleared in
your account if all things work out well. Then I will get back my 70%
through any means we find best to do so. Please note that all I need from
you is your trust and sincerity as to seeing this through. Am expecting your
soonest reply as to enable us start doing something about this immediately

Thanks till I hear from you.

Mr. kennedy kwame

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam