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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
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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:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: barristerfreemanwilson@ymail.com
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:08:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Confidential pls


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:freeman.barrister@yahoo.com.co



- Dear Sir/Madam Thank you for giving me your time. Please be patient and read my email and may God bless you as you read my email to you.I am the personal attorney/sole executor to the late Mr Jeffrey mejica, hereinafter referred to as 'my client' who worked as an independent oil magnate in United Kingdom and who died in a car crash with his immediate family on the 4th of oct,2001. Since the death of my client in oct,2001, I have written several letters to the embassy with an intent to locate any of his extended relatives whom shall be claimants/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate and all such efforts have been to no avail, Moreso,I have received official letters in the last few weeks suggesting a likely proceeding for confiscation of his abandoned personal assets in line with existing laws by the bank in which my client deposited the sum of 15 million U.S.D. On this note i decided to search for a credible person that I may,with your consent, present you to the "trustee" of the bank as my late client's surviving family member so as to enable you put up a claim to the bank in that capacity as a next of kin of my client.I find this possible for the fuller reasons that i have in my possession all the necessary docummets that will be needed by the bank, making it a lot easier for you to put up a claim in that capacity.I propose that 35% of the net sum will accrue to you at the conclusion of this deal in so far as I do not incur further expenses.Therefore, to facilitate the immediate transfer of this fund, you need, first to contact me via signifying your interest and as soon as I obtain your confidence,I will immediately appraise you with the complete details as well as fax or email you the documents, with which you are to proceed and i shall direct on how to put up an application to the bank.However, you will have to accent to an express agreement which I will forward to you in order to bind us in this transaction.Upon the reciept of your reply,I will send you by fax or E-mail the next step to take.I will not fail to bring to your notice that this proposal is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the completion of this transfer. Like I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam