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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:
  • "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)
  • ",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)
  • "is highly confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "u.k " (this email uses bad English)
  • "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "chambers" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447024077209 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Daniel Wilson" <charandowilson@live.com>
Reply-To: <rdpwilson@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:16:22 -0600
Subject: LATE MR. FRANK TERRY'S PHILANTHROPIC ESTATE


DANIEL WILSON'S LAW CHAMBERS
LEGAL PRACTITIONERS AND PRIVATE LAWYER
6 NOEL STREET
LONDON, W1F 8GJ
UNITED KINGDOM
PHONE: +44-702-407-7209

LATE MR. FRANK TERRY'S PHILANTHROPIC ESTATE

Beneficiary,

My name is Mr. Daniel Wilson; I am a native of
England, and president in the Chambers Daniel
Wilson's Law Chambers here in London,
United Kingdom.

I am a legal practitioner, called to the U.K
Bar in 1980.

I used to be the personal Attorney to late
Mr. Frank Terry.

Mr. Frank Terry was a great philanthropist before death;
before he died, he made a philanthropic will of
Five Million Dollars (US$5,000,000.00)which was
meant to be donated to charity organizations in
Africa to support African children living with HIV/AIDS.

We conducted an electronic email random draw in our
chambers today, and your email address was picked as the
beneficiary to this philanthropic fund of $5m.

It is our great desire to claim this fund so that it
can be used for the purpose for which it is meant,
because the bank where the money is currently deposited
has instructed that we produce the beneficiary of
this fund within 14 days else the money will be
confiscated to the Government's treasury as
unclaimed funds.

You have to get back to me immediately so that we
can begin the process of transferring the fund into
any of your designated bank accounts.

As soon as I receive your reply message I shall
give you further information on the process.

With your full co-operation, this transaction
shall be concluded within 7 days, and after the funds
have been transferred into your account, you shall
keep 50% of the money ($2.5m) to yourself as the beneficiary,
donate 40% to any Charity Organization of your choice, while
the balance of 10% comes to me as your attorney in
this transaction.

Also, this transaction is highly confidential and
should remain as such until the funds must have been
transferred into your account, so do not discuss this
transaction with ANYBODY.

I wait to hear back from you immediately, so that I
can give you all the necessary information needed
to proceed, and don't forget to include your name,
location and phone numbers in your response.

Congratulations once again.

Barrister Daniel Wilson (Esq.)

Copyright © 2008 Daniel Wilson Law Chambers, all rights reserved

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam