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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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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:
  • "dormant account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "former president of liberia" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
  • "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: james ofile <jamesofile22@msn.com>
Reply-To: <jamesofile521@o2.pl>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:18:16 +0000
Subject: Hope to hear from you



Hope to hear from you

Dear Sir,



My name is James Ofile I was formerly an Adviser on special duties to Mr. Charles Taylor former president of Liberia. The purpose of this letter is to seek your assistance to invest the sum of $5 Million for me pending when I sort myself with the government of Nigeria where I am presently on asylum.



I want this money urgently moved out of this country because I am being taxed heavily by local revenue office here in Nigeria whose tax laws I consider arbitrary and this places great burden on me, I feel very insecure with everything around here and I have the believe that I might end up losing my whole money to this shy luck agency in the name of tax if urgent action is not taken hence this letter.



Please note the said amount is in Afri bank of Nigeria Plc one of the leading banks in Nigeria ironically this money does not yield any interest because it was placed as dormant account but regrettably the revenue office makes deductions out of this money and you know the implication of this action is that the whole money might end up going to revenue office as tax. Please do forward the following items below to enable the bank transfer the fund into your bank.



1.Your full name

2.Phone Number
3.Your Bank name and address



Yours faithfully,
James Ofile

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam