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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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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)
  • "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. )
  • "greater london" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr.Anthony Lawson" <dr.anthonylawson221@officedeskworld.com>
Reply-To: dr.anthonylawson@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 21:21:58 +0100 (BST)
Subject: From Dr. Lawson(URGENT REPLY NEEDED)


Dear Friend,
How are you today and your family? I hope fine, I am Dr. Anthony Lawson. From Harlsden , North West London here in England . I work for Natwest Bank Corporation London . I am writing you from my office. In my department, being the assistant manager (Greater London Regional Office), I discovered an abandoned sum of $12.5 million USA Dollars (Twelve million five hundred thousand Usa Dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers Late Mr. Thompson Morrison American citizen who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his wife and only daughter.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/.

The choice of contacting you is aroused from the geographical nature of where you live, particularly due to the sensitivity's of the transaction. And the confidentiality herein. Now our bank has been waiting for any of the relatives to come-up for the claim but nobody has done that. I personally have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for 2 years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin /Will Beneficiary to the deceased so that the proceeds of this account valued at 12.5 Million Dollars can be paid to you. This will be disbursed or shared in these percentages, 60% to me and 40% to you. I have secured all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up this claim we are making. All I need is to fill in your names to the documents and legalize it in the court here to prove you as the legitimate beneficiary.

All I require now is your honest Co-operation, Confidentiality and Trust to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee you that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please, provide me the following: as we have 5 days to run it through, this is very very URGENT PLEASE.
1. Full Name
2. Your Telephone Number
3. Your Contact Address.

I decided to contact you hoping that you will find this proposal interesting. Please on your confirmation of this message and indicating your interest, I will furnish you with more information. Endeavor to let me know your decision rather than keep me waiting.
Best Regards,
Dr. Anthony Lawson.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam