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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: "Capt. Patrick Williams" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <Capt.patrickwilliams44@yandex.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2021 08:15:35 -0700
Subject: GET BACK TO ME IF YOUR STILL INTERESTED

Dear Beloved Friend,
I saw your email from search Engine and I decided to contact you urgently for this great opportunity between me and you, permit me to introduce myself to you, my name is Capt. Patrick Williams. I am an American soldier, presently in Afghanistan for war against terrorism and also helping in stabilizing the country against security challenges. With a very desperate need for assistance, I have decided to contact you for your kind assistance to move the sum of (US$45,000,000.00) Forty Five Million United States Dollars to you if I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care until I complete my service. Some money in various currencies was discovered in boxes at a farmhouse during a rescue operation we conducted in one of the attacks by the terrorists and it was agreed by my colleagues and I that some part of this money be shared among us.
 
I deposited this money with a Red Cross Agent informing him that we are making contact for the real owner of the money. And it is under my power to approve whoever that comes forth for this consignment. I want to invest the money in your state as soon as I am deployed into your state for a good business, anyway you will advise me on that since I am not a business person. So I need someone I could trust. If you accept, I will smuggle to transfer the money to your country where you will be the beneficiary.
 
I am a uniformed person and I cannot be parading such an amount, so I need to present someone to stand as the recipient. I am an American and an intelligence officer and for that I have a 100% authentic means of transferring the money through Diplomatic Courier Service. I just need your acceptance and all is done.
Please if you are interested in this transaction I will give you the complete details that you need for us to carry out this transaction successfully, I decided to find someone that is for real and not imaginary and that is why I went to a secured website, where I can be sure that the person is real. I believe I can trust you. Where we are now we can only communicate through our military communication facilities which is secured so nobody can monitor our emails, then I can explain in details, and I can only reach you through email, because our calls might be monitored but have to be sure whom I am dealing with.
 
I wait for your contact details so we can go on. I will give to you 40% of the sum and 60% is for me. I hope I am fair on this deal, Get back to me with your full information Below.
 
YOUR FULL NAME......................
YOUR FULL ADDRESS...................
YOUR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER........
OCCUPATION..........................
 
Regards,
 
Capt. Patrick Williams
US ARMY
Kabul Afghanistan

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