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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million 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)
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
• 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.
  • mrsaminausman20@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <mrsaminausman20@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:50:28 +0000
Subject: Dear Friend.




Dear Friend. Greetings in the name of God / Allah,Pls let this not sound strange to you, formy family lawyer who would have handled this executorship of my will on mybehalf, died early this year after a protracted illness.I prayed and got youremail ID from your country's guestbook.I am Mrs. Amina Usman from Oman, I am58 years old.i am suffering from a protracted cancer of the lungs which has alsoaffected my brain cells as a result of complications. from all indication mycondition is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that,according to my doctors i have been advised that i may not live for the next two months, this isbecause the cancer stage has gotten to a critical and life threatening stage. I was brought up in an orphanage home as a child of circumstance,having beenabandoned at birth by my teenage biological mother and taken to an orphanagehome by a good samaritan.i was married to my late husband Mr.Gamal Usman fortwenty years without a child.my husband was hypertensive and died of cardiacarrest. Since my husbands death i decided not to re-marry,when my ailment becameterrible, i sold off all our choice properties and personal belongings includinga shopping mall,an hotel, shares, bonds,jewelries and other valuable familytreasures and deposited the proceeds amounting to USD$10.2million dollars withFirst Inland Bank Plc.Presently, this money is still lodged with the Bank, andthe management and board of directors of the bank just wrote me as the soleowner to come forward to receive the money after having kept it for so long atime in their coffers,or that i can issue a letter of authorization to somebodyto receive it on my behalf since I can not come over and claim the funds duelargely to my illness or they get it confisticated. Presently, I'm writing you with my laptop in a hospital in switzerland,located at fulham road in west switzerland.It is the leading cancer treatmenthospital in the world. I have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs.my doctors like i said earlier told me that I have only two months to live.It ismy last wish therefore to see that 70% of this money which amounts tousd$7,140,000.00 (seven million one hundred and forty thousand dollars only) isinvested to any organisation of your choice and distributed each year amongcharitable Organizations,the poor and the motherless babies homes. you canalso extend to churches and mosques,if you wish. 30% of the money which amountsto usd$3,060,000.00(three million sixty thousand dollars only) is for yourpersonal use. I want you as a God fearing person,to take it upon yourself and use this moneyfor the aforementioned purposes, i took this decision in other to help humanityin my little capacity,before i rest in peace in the bosom of the almighty,because according to my physicians my time will soon be up.As soon as I receiveyour reply I shall give you the official contact of the First Inland Bank plcofficials,to enable you reach them without delays.I will also issue you a letterof authorization that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my will. thefunds have an open beneficiary mandate,and as such it is whom i authorise to acton my behalf that the bank will recognise and release the funds to.

Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.hoping to hear from you soon. NAME: __________SURNAME:__________________SEX: _____ AGE: ______MARITAL: _______________COUNTRY: _______CITY: _________ STATE _______ZIPCODE: _______CONTACT ADDRESS: ________________________PHONE NO#___________FAX NO#_________________OCCUPATION:______________POSITION: _____________waiting for you informationreply me through this my private emailaddress:mrsaminausman20@hotmail.com Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Amina Usman.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam