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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:
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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)
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "million 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)
  • "30% for you " (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)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "a reliable and reputable person to handle this" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "foreign remittance department" (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.

Fraud email example:

From: Issi Ahmed <iss1@yakubu.net>
Reply-To: mryakudu_ahmed@live.fr
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2008 04:30:16 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: WITH DUE RESPECT


FROM Mr. YAKUDU AHMED
BILL AND EXCHAGE MANAGER
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT
BANK OF AFRICA ( BOA)
BURKINA FASO WEST AFRICA
DEAR FRIEND,
COMPLIMENTS,
I AM WRITING TO SEEK YOUR COOPERATION OVER THIS BUSINESS PROPOSAL. FIRST I MUST SOLICIT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION; THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND TOP SECRET. THOUGH I KNOW THAT A TRANSACTION OF THIS MAGNITUDE WILL MAKE ANY ONE APPREHENSIVE AND WORRIED, BUT I AM ASSURING YOU THAT ALL WILL BE WELL AT THE END OF THE DAY.

I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU DUE TO THE URGENCY OF THIS TRANSACTION, LET ME START BY INTRODUCING MYSELF PROPERLY TO YOU. I AM MR YAKUDU AHMED A MANAGER WITH THE BANK OF AFRICA( BOA), OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA FASO, AFRICA.
I CAME TO KNOW YOU IN MY PRIVATE SEARCH FOR A RELIABLE AND REPUTABLE PERSON TO HANDLE THIS CONFIDENTIAL TRANSACTION, WHICH INVOLVES THE TRANSFER OF HUGE SUM OF MONEY TO A FOREIGN ACCOUNT REQUIRING MAXIMUM CONFIDENCE.

IN MY DEPARTMENT, WE DISCOVERED AN ABANDONED SUM OF$15MILLION USD(FIFTEEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS.)ONLY, IN AN ACCOUNT THAT BELONGS TO ONE OF OUR FOREIGN CUSTOMERS WHO DIED ALONG WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY IN A PLANE CRASH THAT TOOK PLACE IN KENYA, EAST AFRICA, THE BANK NOW EXPECTS A NEXT OF KIN AS BENEFICIARY. VALUABLE EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE BY THE BANK TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ANY OF THE BRUMLEYS REMAINING FAMILY OR RELATIVES BUT ALL TO NO SUCCESS. THE LATE DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY,A CITIZEN OF ATLANTA,UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS A KNOWN PHILANTROPIST IN,

WEST AFRICA AND THE WHOLE AFRICAN CONTINENT SINCE WE GOT INFORMATION ABOUT HIS DEATH, WE HAVE BEEN EXPECTING HIS NEXT OF KIN TO COME OVER AND CLAIM HIS MONEY BECAUSE IT CANNOT BE RELEASED UNLESS SOMEBODY APPLIES FOR IT AS NEXT OF KIN OR RELATION TO THE DECEASED AS INDICATED IN OUR BANKING GUIDELINES BUT UNFORTUNATELY ALL HIS SUPPOSED NEXT OF KIN OR RELATION DIED ALONGSIDE WITH HIM AT THE PLANE CRASH LEAVING NOBODY BEHIND FOR THE CLAIM. IT IS THEREFORE UPON THIS DISCOVERY THAT I NOW DECIDED TO MAKE THIS BUSINESS PROPOSAL TO YOU AND RELEASE THE MONEY TO YOU VIA YOUR FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNT AS THE NEXT OF KIN OR RELATION TO THE DECEASED FOR SAFETY AND SUBSEQUENT DISBURSEMENT SINCE NOBODY IS COMING FOR IT AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THE PERCEIVED POSSIBILITY OF NOT BEING ABLE TO LOCATE ANY OF LATE BRUMLEYS S NEXT KIN (HE DIED WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY MEMBERS) . THE BANKING LAW AND GUIDELINE HERE STIPULATES THAT IF SUCH MONEY REMAINED UNCLAIMED AFTER SEVEN YEARS, THE MONEY WILL BE
TRANSFERRED INTO THE BANK TREASURY AS UNCLAIMED FUND THE REQUEST FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE AND MAXIMUM CO-OPERATION AS A FOREIGN CITIZEN TO STAND AS THE NEXT OF KIN IN THIS BUSINESS IS OCCASIONED BY THE FACT THAT THE DECEASED CUSTOMER WAS A FOREIGNER AND A BURKINABE CANNOT STAND AS NEXT OF KIN TO A FOREIGNER.

THE SHARING OF THE FUND ARE THUS: 30% FOR YOU THE ACCOUNT OWNER,60% FOR I AND MY TRUSTED COLLEAGUES AND THE REMAINING 10% FOR EXPENSES FOR BOTH PARTIES. IF THIS PROPOSAL IS ACCEPTABLE BY YOU, DO NOT MAKE UNDUE ADVANTAGE OF THE TRUST WE HAVE BESTOWED IN YOU.
BEST REGARDS,
Mr. YAKUDU AHMED
NOTE
YOU SHOULD CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY .YOU SHOULD CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY THROUGH MY PRIVATE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR SECURITY REASONS AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER mryakudu_ahmed@live.fr)
NB; PLEASE, VISIT THE WEBSITE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION'S ABOUT THE PLANE CRASH AND THE TRAGIC DEATH OF THE DECEASED AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY, LATE DR.GEORGE BRUMLEY.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam