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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.

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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:
  • "hundred thousand united states dollars" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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 service" (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.
  
• 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.
  • +447045720668 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)
• 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.
  • rev.jones.maxwell121@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Fabre, Felicia D" <Fabre@fulton.k12.ga.us>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:58:02 -0400
Subject: contact me on...(rev.jones.maxwell121@gmail.com)

Greetings to you,I am Rev. Father Jones Maxwell Harth, a senior staff with the World Bank fact finding & special duties office. I am writing you this letter because cool penny is better than millions of dollars. It is better for one to live and die poor honest man than a rich dishonest one.
I and the chief security officer (CSO) of this organization have arranged with an officer in computer section engineer Peter Cliff to bring out part of your total pending payment sum amounting to US$10 million. Why we did this is because according to information gathered from the bank's/security computer, you have been waiting for a long time to receive your money without success. As I found out that you have almost met all the statutory requirements in respect of your pending payment, your problem is that of interest groups. A lot of people are interested in your payment and those people are merely doing paper works with you and that explains why you receive fax and phone messages from different people everyday. Also we found out that some of the officials of the parastatals have been extorting a lot of money from you with the pretext of helping you receive your money. I can assure you that this may last for years yet nothing happens if you do not do away with those officers that you call your partners. And for security reasons do not tell anybody that you have your money until you receive cash at your door step. The money is in a security-proof box weighing 75kg. Yesterday we went to four courier companies to make arrangements on how to ship them by courier to you. DHL, EMS, FEDEX, UPS all said that they must open the boxes for inspection by the customs before shipment.There is no way you can open the box and be able to close it again because it was padded with machine. We told the courier services that the box contained film materials and when open will spoil the materials.
We did not declare money because courier does not carry money.We have concluded that you must donate Five Hundred Thousand United States dollars (US$500,000.00) to any charity organisation I designate as soon as you receive your money. To this effect, you will send us a promissory note for Five Hundred Thousand United States dollars (US$500,000.00) along with your address for sending the box by courier. Please maintain topmost secrecy because i want to help you because something in me is telling me that you are an honest person. When you conclude this and you send our promise, we will help to ship the final part of your money to you.God be with you as we wait for your reply on email address: rev.jones.maxwell121@gmail.com
Yours faithfully,
Rev. Father Jones Maxwell Harth
+44-704-572-0668

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam