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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:
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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)
  • "million united state 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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: Patrick Owusu <powusu288@msn.com>
Reply-To: <patrick_owusu@excite.co.jp>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:15:30 +0000
Subject: From Mr. Owusu



Dear friend,

It's my pleasure having you contacted today, I am Mr. Patrick Owusu the regional manager of one of Rural Banks in Ghana, Am 48 years old married with two lovely kids. And I want to trust you with amount of US$3million which is presently available for our benefit.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit both of us. As regional manger of our bank, is my duty to send auditing report to our bank head office in the capital city Accra-Ghana at the end of each business year. On the course of last year (2008) business report. I discovered that my branch in which am the manager made Three million united state dollars (US$3,000,000.00) which our bank head office does not aware of. Further my private investigation I discover that this money is part of unclaimed deposited funds in our bank by a late foreign customer here in Ghana before his death since 2006 without any beneficiary information and also no trace of his family nor relatives because is a foreigner.

But as an official in our bank I can not be directly have access to this money. So my aim of contacting you is to seek for your partnership to team up with me and receive this money with your bank account and get 50% of the total fund as commission for your partnership.

Lastly, the transfer will be bank to bank transaction without any problem because every necessity has being done to ensure safe and successful transfer of the fund to your bank account, all I need from you is to stand claim as the foreign depositor and title holder who deposited the fund with the bank to enable our bank head office release the fund to your bank account.

I will be very grateful if you accept to team up with me to achieve this great opportunity
together please urgently call me on +233-249-840830.

Regards,
Mr. Owusu.
+233-249-840830.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam