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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)
  • "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "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)
  • "transaction is risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.

Fraud email example:

From: Georges Jones <georgesjones@rocketmail.com>
Reply-To: gejones@live.fr
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 11:51:23 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: PLEASE I AM WAITING FOR YOUR URGENT REPLY





Dear Friend,=20
=A0=20
I know that this message will come to you as a surprise please bear with me=
for contacting you through this media due to it is the easiest way I can c=
ontact you as a foreigner with out exposing this business, and I must have =
to introduce my self to you before relenting you the business I want to eng=
age with you, My name is Mr George Jones Manager Audit and Account Departme=
nt of our bank, African Development Bank (ADB) Ouagadougou.=20

Please It is my humble pleasure to write you irrespective of the fact that =
we have not met for the first time or known each other before, However I wa=
s able to get your contact through the yahoo international directorate in m=
y earnest search for a reliable and trustworthy person that can handle this=
confidential transaction with me to transfer the sum of nineteen million, =
three hundred thousand United States dollars ($ 19300000.00 US DOLLARS) int=
o your bank account, and this fund was abandoned and left unclaimed with ou=
r bank since the real owner died.=20

The money belongs to our customers who died few years ago with all his fami=
ly members, moreover it is a current joint account between him and his wife=
whereas they endorsed their children to be their successor in case of any =
problem occurred to them but unfortunately sudden death took away all his c=
hildren, and i requested your assistance to apply to our bank as the NEXT O=
F KIN to the foreign deceased customer of our bank and since our bank got i=
nformation about his death the bank have been expecting his next of kin to =
come over and claim his money but no body have show up as his next of kin f=
or the claim because the account is untraceable and the bank cannot release=
it unless somebody applies for it as the next of kin or relation to the de=
ceased as indicated in our banking guidelines .=20

For the success of this transaction I will like you to apply to bank and ac=
t as the only existing NEXT OF KIN to the deceased which our bank will repl=
ace the deceased account information through proper documentation in positi=
on of your own account this transaction is risk free it will n ever harm yo=
ur good reputation in your society because no one can trace the account, an=
d on the instant of the transfer of the fund into your account, the chapter=
of this transaction will be closed entirely.=20
Please note down that once the fund get transferred into your account, you =
will take 40% while I will take 60% of the total sum and I will resign from=
work and come over to your country once the fund hits your account and I w=
ill still need your assistance to direct me for business investment in your=
country and you are the one to issue me a letter of invitation or visa imm=
ediately the fund get transferred. If you are interested to assist me this =
transaction you are to go ahead and reply this mail immediately with your i=
nformation as i stated it bellow so that I will let you know the next step =
to follow immediately in order to finalize this transaction in a period of =
time.=20

(1) Your full Name ................=20
(2) Your Address ..................=20
(3) Your Phone numbers .........=20
(4) Fax numbers ...................=20
(5) Your Occupation ................=20
(6) Your Age .....................=20
(7) Your Marital status ............=20
(8) Your Nationality ...............=20
(9) Your Photograph ................=20

Once i receive your information i will then give you more details informati=
on you will use to apply to the bank on how to transfer the fund into you b=
ank account.=20

I am expecting your reply soonest so that we can proceed=20
Yours sincerely,=20
Mr George=0A=0A=0A

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam