419 scam: Phill Van <phillvan@proton.me> Kindly get back to me ASAP.

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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:
- "with your full names" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- ",000,000" (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)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.

Fraud email example:

From: Phill Van <phillvan@proton.me>
Reply-To: phillvan01@hotmail.com
Date: 03 Sep 2022 08:12:56 -0700
Subject: Kindly get back to me ASAP.

Dear xxx

My name is Mr. Phill Van, I am a senior executive of a government ministry here in South Africa responsible for awarding and execution of contracts. I have in my possession an outstanding contract payment of $17,000,000. These funds were derived from an over-invoiced contract. Though the actual contract cost has been paid to the original contractor, leaving the excess balance unclaimed.

I am in search of a foreign partner who will assist me to transfer these funds out of the shores of Africa into a foreign bank account, For your support and partnership i will give you %40 of the total money. I am willing to work with you as long as you agree to the %40 and also agree to keep this transaction a top secret between you and i.

Kindly get back to me as soon as possible if you are interested and also provide me with your full names and direct telephone number.

Best Regards,
Mr. Phill Van

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam