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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:
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• What can you do when you receive 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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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)
  • "cotonou" (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.
  • +22997019322 (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.
  • jeoben1@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "jeo ben2" <jeoben2@gala.net>
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:28:40 +0100
Subject: Dear friend,


Dear friend,



Du Read And Get Back To me


This message might meet you in utmost surprise however,it's just my urgent
need for a foreign partner that made me contact you for this transaction.
Please respond with your direct phone number after reading for oral
discussion
to enable us understand ourselves.


Mr Jeo Ben is my name, an accountant & the auditor general of the
BANK OF AFRICA'' here in cotonou Republic of Benin. I wish to
know if we can work together. I would like you to stand as the next of kin
to
our deceased client who made a fixed deposit oftwo million five hundred
thousand dollars (USD$2.500.000.00) to our bank.


He died in a plane crash in the year 2003 here in benin without any next of
kin
and as such his funds now have an open beneficiary mandate, view this
website:
www.iafpa.org.uk/news-template.php?t=4&id=1291


Do get back to me if you are interested through my private email address at:
(jeoben1@yahoo.com) so that I can give you more details
concerning this transaction. On the issue of sharing I will let you know as
soon as i hear from you, once again don't forget to reply with your direct
mobile number as i instructed above.

Thanks,


Mr Jeo Ben

(Direct Tel: +229 97 01 93 22,)

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam