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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
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• 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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "dormant account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • +447024071545 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "John Swanney" <upgrade@serving-solutionsways.com>
Reply-To: johnswanney1@live.com
Date: Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:40:19 +0000
Subject: Your response is needed!!!


Dear Friend,

My name is Mr. John Swanney, Director ,I am the Auditing and Accounting Managing Director of Royal Bank Scotland UK. I write you this proposal in good faith, believing that I can trust you with the information I am about to reveal to you. I use to head the Accounts department in my bank head office, but last December I was asked to take position of a Director of our branch in Great Winchester St, London, EC2N 2DB,London UK, so that was how I became the present Manager and discovered a fortune.

As I resumed duty, I discovered an account with total sum of $10,500,000:00 (TEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED BRITAIN POUNDS) that has not been operated on for the past 7 years. From my investigation today, I have found out that this account belongs to one Late Mr. Morris Thompson an American great industrialist and a resident of Alaska, 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.

You shall read more news about the crash on visiting this site which I got during my investigation; http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list

This account is in dormant account in my bank here and no other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it,I have kept a close monitoring of the account, and since then nobody has come forward to ask about the money as next of kin to the late Mr. Morris Thompson, meaning that no one is aware of the account.

I cannot directly take out this money without the help of a foreigner and that is why I am contacting you for an assistance to claim the funds and share it with me.

As the Manager of my bank branch, I have the power to influence the release of the funds to any foreigner that comes up as the next of kin to the account, with the correct information concerning the account, which I shall give you immediately i received your contact information, such as:

1) Your Name:
2) Your Address:
3) Your Phone Number:
4) Your Occupation and Age:

I am seeking your co-operation to present you as the next of kin to the account, so that my bank head quarters will release the funds to us. There is practically no risk involved, the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law.

Please contact me immediatly with your private telephone number so we can go over the details.

Regards,

Mr. John Swanney,
Director Royal Bank Scotland UK.
Tel: +44-702-4071545

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam