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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• 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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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:
  • "economic and financial crime commission" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • zenithgroupplc79@googlemail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: COMPENSATION UNIT <unitednations8083@msn.com>
Reply-To: <zenithgroupplc79@googlemail.com>
Date: Mon, 11 May 2009 18:01:58 +0000
Subject: SCAMMED VICTIM/ US$520,000.00 BENEFICIARY.REF/PAYMENTS CODE:06654



ZENITH BANK COMPENSATION UNIT IN AFFILIATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS

Send a copy of your response to official email: zenithgroupplc79@googlemail.com



ATTN:Sir/Madam,


How are you today?,Hope all is well with you and family?,You may not understand why this mail came to you. We have been having a meeting for the past 7 months which ended 2 days ago with the present secretary to the UNITED NATIONS.

This email is to all the people that have been scammed in any part of the world, the UNITED NATIONS have agreed to compensate them with the sum of US$520,000.00 (Five Hundred and Twenty Thousand United States Dollars),this includes every foriegn contractor that may have not received their contract sum and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international business that failed due to Government policiesetc.

Your name and email was in the list submitted by our Monitoring Team of Economic and Financial Crime Commission observers,this is why we are contacting you, this have been agreed upon and have been signed.You are advised to contact Mr. Jim Ovia of ZENITH BANK NIGERIA PLC,he is our representative in Nigeria, contact him immediately for your International Bank Draft of USD$520,000.00,this funds are in a Bank Draft form for security purpose, he will send it to you and you can clear it in any bank of your choice worldwide.

Therefore, you are to send him your full Names,telephone number/your correct mailing address where you want him to send the Draft to.Contact Mr. Jim Ovia immediately for your draft,you can reach him directly with Email: zenithgroupplc79@googlemail.com

Goodluck and kind Regards,
Making the world a better place.

Mr. Ban Ki-Moon,
Secretary (UNITED NATIONS).

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam