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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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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:
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
• 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.
  • +22993695734 (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.
  • charlesobi@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "OFFICE MAIL" <office_mail53@ig.com.br>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:30:41 +0100
Subject: ATTENTION


*ATTENTION,

How are you doing today, together with your family? I could have email you
since all this while, but I did not have any access to the internet since I
left from my station, I just came back last week, and yesterday been 10th
August 2008, I got call from the courier company stated that your money is
still there in their custody that they did not delivery your money since all
this while, I must tell you that I am not happy with them, then I contacted
my attorney barrister Jude Emmanuel to escort me to the company, so that we
will visit the company, and make arrangement on how to bring the money out
from the company today and proceed to the western union bank, where we will
deposit the money and transfer it through western union to your country .

Note that the arrangement is been going on now, regarding on how to withdraw
the money from the courier company and transfer it through western union to
your address, and it will please me if you can re-confirm your current
address and your mobile telephone number, and try to call me in my telephone
number immediately you receive this message to keep you posted on the
development, once we withdraw the box and deposit it to the western union ,
they will contact you regarding on the transfer and immediately the transfer
it to you, they will send you payment information to enable you pick it up
from your country .*
*
I am waiting for your call +229-9369-5734 and due reply me through this
Email Address.... **charlesobi@hotmail.com* <charlesobi@hotmail.com>
*Signe
pastor charles obi*

**

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam