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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "huge amount of money" (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)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• This email message is a orphan scam.

Fraud email example:

From: <michaelpitas254@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 19:25:57 +0900 (JST)
Subject: FROM MICHAEL PITAS

Dear Sir,

Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I got your contact from a missionary woman here in Abidjan.
I am prince MICHAEL the only son of late Mr and Mrs PITAS My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast before he was poisoned to death by his business associates onone of their outing to discus on a business deal.

When my mother died on the 21st October 1984, my father took me and my junior sister special because we are motherless. Before the death of my father on 30th June 2005 in a private hospital here in Abidjan. He secretly called me on his bedside and told me that he has a sum of $ 15.500.000
(FIFTEEN Million, five hundred thousand dollars) left in a suspense account in a local Bank here in Abidjan, that he used my
name as his first son for the next of kin in deposit of the fund. He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth and some huge amount of money his business associates supposed to balance him from the deal they had that he was poisoned by his business associates, that I should seek
for a God fearing foreign partner in a country of my choice where I will transfer this money and use it for investment purpose, (such as real estate management).

Sir, we are honourably seeking your assistance in the following ways.

1) To provide a Bank account where this money would be transferred to.
2) To serve as the guardian of this since I am a boy of 25 years.

Moreover Sir, we are willing to offer you 15% of the sum as compensation for effort input after the successful transfer of this fund to your designate account overseas.
Anticipating to hear from you soon.
Thanks and God Bless.
Best regards.
MICHAEL PITAS




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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam