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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "charles soludo" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • james_adams22@hotmail.fr

Fraud email example:

From: "Adams James" <adams_j22@ig.com.br>
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:23:45 +0100
Subject: VERY URGENT


*Sir/Madam,

This is to notify you that your case was presented to us and was deliberated
upon Last Monday during the on going National Economic Summit of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria in the presence of the president, Federal Republic Of
Nigeria, Alhaji Musa Yar'adua, GCFR, the Honorable Minister of Finance, Dr.
Shamsudeen Usman, The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo
and other key economic policy matters.

It was discovered to the dismay of all participants that your payment has
been unnecessarily delayed despite been cleared by the authorized Financial
regulatory bodies and It was also discovered that some unscrupulous
individuals aiming to frustrating all your efforts have removed some vital
documents from your payment file.

However, a 7-man harmonization, normalization, notarization, computerization
and re-documentation committee has been set up to finally perfect all the
necessary documentation to that effect and they have concluded their job.
Everything is ready to go.

After much strict scrutiny on your file, we discovered that some top
government officials in Nigeria especially in banks are working against your
interest in this case.To forestall any further atrocious act against you, we
have decided to go into a pact with reputable Banks in USA to settle your
payment.

You are to contact me immediately for the setting up of your accredited
payment access code number, password and allocation of foreign exchange for
your Payment through the nominated bank.*

*Contact me via My privte E-mail:
**james_adams22@hotmail.fr*<james_adams22@hotmail.fr>
*
Best regards
Dr. Adams James
Foreign operations
Federal Ministry of Finance.
Federal Republic of Nigeria*

**

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam