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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
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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.

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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "hundred thousand us dollars" (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)
  • "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• 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.
  • kemahema17@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "kema hema" <kemahema17@bigmir.net>
Reply-To: kemahema17@yahoo.fr
Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 12:36:44 +0000
Subject: TREAT AS URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL.


*FROM THE DESK OF Mr.KEMA HEMA.
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA (BOA)
OUAGADOUGOU,BURKINA FASO.WEST AFRICA*

*Dear Friend,*
**
*Compliment of the season,I know that this mail will come to you as a
surprise as we have never met before. My name is Mr.Kema Hema.I am the
manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of Bank Of
Africa (BOA). I crave your indulgence as i contact you in such a surprising
manner. But I respectfully insist you read this letter carefully as I am
optimistic it will open doors for unimaginable financial rewards for both of
us.*
**
*In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of Fifteen Million,Three
Hundred Thousand US dollars (US$15.3m) only , in an account that belongs to
one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family in Kenya
crash, On the 21st of July, 2003. Since we got information about his death,
the bank has been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his
money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of
kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but
unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relatives
died with him at the plan crash leaving nobody behind for the claims.And
for your perusal you can view this site
**http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html*<http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html>

*It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this
business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or
relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody
is coming for it and i don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as
unclaimed Bill.*
**
*The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained
unclaimed after Six years, the money will be transferred into the Bank
treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of a foreigner as next of kin in
this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner
and a Burkinabe can not stand as next of kin to a foreigner. I agree that
30% of this money will be for you as my foreign partner, in respect to the
provision of a foreign account , 10% will be set aside for expenses incurred
during the business and 60% would be for me..*
**
*Thereafter I will visit your country for disbursement according to the
percentages indicated. Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this
fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relation or
next of kin to the deceased indicating your bank name,your bank account
number, your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective
communication and location wherein the money will be remitted. *
**
*Upon receipt of your reply,I will give you more details about this deal
as well as a specimen of the text of the application which you will fill
and send to the bank .*
**
*I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free
and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required
arrangements have been made for the transfer. *
**
*You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter with
this my private email address below.*
**
*Email: kemahema17@yahoo.fr*
**
*Trusting to hear from you immediately.*
**
*Yours faithfully,
Mr.KEMA HEMA. *

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam