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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
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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:
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand us 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)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: john kojo <jnkojo14@yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: jkojo2k@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:34:44 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: KINDLY CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH ME IN THIS PROJECT!



Sir,
l am John Kojo a Civil Servant in the Ministry of Health  in Ghana but currently on a visit to the UK . l know this proposal will come to you as a surprise because we have not met before either physically or through correspondence.
However, there is a  Two Million Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars ($2.5m), money of my late dad who was a Cocoa merchant which is lodged in a security company  .The deposit agreement is to the effect that the funds is to be transferred to an open foreign beneficiary as at and when we decide to have it remitted abroad and this was just before my father died.
I am now the benefactor of my dads estate and towing the line of his wishes of moving these funds abroad for investment,however my country Law forbids me from operating any bank account abroad due to my status.
 So l would be very grateful if you could accept to help me achieve this
great objective, as the one in whose custody the funds will arrive on trust to. I promise
to give you 20% of the total funds.Ten percent(10%)would be set aside to take
Care of all expenses we may incure during the transaction.
I want to assure you that that this transaction is 100% risk free, but you should adhere to total confidentiality of this!
Yours faithfully
John

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam