419 scam: "Alex Ferdinand"<alex@myway.com> Your Fund is Available now

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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:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "await your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
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.
- +2347043646231 (Nigeria, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Alex Ferdinand" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <alexferdinand52@yahoo.no>
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2011 14:13:43 +0100
Subject: Your Fund is Available now

>From Mr. Alex Ferdinand

This is to notify you that we have your fund of USD$9.5M with us here in the UNITED NATIONS COMPENSATION

COMMISSION OFFICE and your email was among the beneficiary of the said fund. Due to your late response to our

email message sent to you from Different department on this Issue, there is one Mr. Graves here who said he was

sent by you and he said he is now the owner of the fund. He said he is ready to pay for the procurement of the

legal documents which is ($548 usd ) for the release of the fund to him.

I came to Nigeria yesterday from London, after series of complains from the FBI and other Security agencies from

Asia, Europe, Oceania, Antarctica, South America and the United States of America respectively, against the

Federal Government of Nigeria and the British Government for the rate of scam activities going on in these two

nations.

I await your urgent response to this office immediately.

Sincerely yours.

Mr A. Ferdinand

United Nations Under-Secretary-

General for Internal Oversight.

Direct Tel: +234-704-364-6231

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam