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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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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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:
  • "the consignment" (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 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.
  • desekubk@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Desm Eku" <deseku15@ig.com.br>
Reply-To: desekubk@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:42:14 +0200
Subject: In trust always favour


In trust always favour

I am Mr. Demond Eku; I work in the National Bank Cotonou Republic of Benin
West Africa, packaging and courier department. I got your contact in my
search for an honest person through our National bank profile search. I want
you to clear this package that is already intact which will be shipped in
through our National bank accredited courier agent but the contents of the
package is ($22m USD) but the courier company does not know that it is money
that I have in the package.

All I want you to do for me now is to forward to me this below information.
your full names, residential/office address, private phone/fax
number,nationality, occupation, marital status & age, be rest assure that at
the end of the day, you will have 30% and 70% will be for me. If this
arrangement is okay by you, then I will discussed other modalities as soon
as you get back to me immediately you receive this mail and feel free that
you will assist me in this matter, so that we can discuss on how to get the
consignment of money delivered to your address and your sincerity towards
this matter. For urgent and fast implementations of matters please reply me
via: desekubk@hotmail.com

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Demond Eku

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam