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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

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:

Fraud email example:

From: "Hsbc Bank Plc." (may be fake)
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2011 05:38:04 +0200
Subject: READ : Important Notification !!


Account Statement ,

We are sorry to inform you that your Online Account
has been suspended.
A high number of failed login attempts have been
recorded on your account. As a security measure we had to
temporarily suspend your account.

To restore your account we have attached a form to this e-mail.
Please download the form and follow the instructions on your
screen.

NOTE: The form needs to be opened in a modern, javascript
enabled, browser (ex: Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3, Safari 3,
Opera 9).

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Sincerely, the HSBC Bank Security Departament.

We advise you to keep this e-mail for further notifications.

© Copyright 2011 HSBC Bank Plc. All rights reserved.

Subject: Case ID Number: NW-508-410-563

Anti-fraud resources: