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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
  • "certified bank draft" (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
• 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.
  • jamesmugabe01@hotmail.com
  • james_mugabe_2007@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: james1@mail.iki.lt
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:52:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: "AN APPEAL FOR URGENT ASSISTANCE"


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:barristerjames.mugabe02@yahoo.com.co



- "AN APPEAL FOR URGENT ASSISTANCE" PLEASE, KINDLY SEND YOUR REPLY TO THESE EMAIL ADDRESSES ONLY : E - mail addresses: james@mail.iki.lt OR jamesmugabe01@hotmail.com ,Dear Sir/Madam, I know this may come as a surprise to you, but permit me to say that, it may interest you to know that, I am writing following information i received from one of my friends who runs an information technology consultancy firm. Although, I did not tell him the details of what i want to do with your contact, this was long before i flee Zimbabwe for my dear life, but it has become quite imperative and necessary now to contact you based on the urgency of the project on ground. I am JAMES MUGABE, a junior brother to SIR ROBERT MUGABE, the incumbent president of the Federal Republic of Zimbabwe, and a member of his cabinet of ministers. I had vehemently opposed my brother and his cabinet of ministers during the hyneous crack down on white commercial farmers by way of arrest, arson, maiming and brutalization in Zimbabwe. Although, the militia has been responsible for some of the worst acts of violence and brutalization during Zimbabwe’s land crises over the last two years, even when the white commercial farmers voluntarily left their farms and properties, the government appeared to target only white commercial farming communities, it saw as belligerent or uncooperatives,dozens of white farmers were charged with obstructing the law and were arrested and kept in police cells and refused or denied bail. PLEASE YOU CAN READ ABOUT PROBLEMS IN ZIMBABWE FROM THE LINKS BELOW.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/918781.stm,http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/715001.stm ,http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1063785.stm, The presidents of America, Britain and the rest of the international community were seriously against this developments, even the United Nations, registed their annoyance, meanwhile famine raged unabated in Zimbabwe, one economist said there was only food available for half the country of thirteen million people and that, interms of the government eviction order, white commercial farmers will have to abandon more than sixty five thousand hectres of their farm lands,crops and properties. As a result of my uncompromising stand point, as i opposed the government's obnoxious reforms against the white commercial farmers, i was declared a rebel and an oppositionist to the government, this caliberated to my being declared wanted by the government, to save my life i had to run for refuge, so i am now on exile. However, before these developments, i was my elder brother’s (Sir Robert Mugabe) secret banker,so as it is, i have some undisclosed amount of his money to the tune of millions of dollars stockpiled somewhere in an off - shore account, but because i am on exile in one of the neighbouring country's in Africa and cannot travel for now to claim the money, i will need your assistance to help me claim these funds for our mutual benefit and sharing. All i need do is to present or front you as the original owner of the funds, this i will have to do by changing all the documents to your name for the funds to be in your favour, but note that it might entail your travelling to formally finalize this transaction, this of course is under probability, because, if well arranged, payment could be made to you directly from any of their correspondence branches closer to your country or alternatively a certified bank draft or bank cheque will be raised in your favour and paid to you via their bank. Please, if this proposal is okay by you and you do not wish to take undue advantage of my situation, the trust and confidency i hope to repose and bestow on you and your company, then kindly get back to me immediately via these E - mail addresses only :james@mail.iki.lt OR jamesmugabe01@hotmail.com, furnishing me with your full particulars, that is, your full name, address, phone and fax numbers, company name and address (if any) and finally your full banking particulars, so that i can use these information to apply for the change of ownership/beneficiary status, release/payment and subseqent transfer of the funds in your favour into the bank account that you will provide. In anticipation of your swiftt and favourable response, i thank you. Yours faithfully, JAMES MUGABE. N/B: PLEASE, KINDLY SEND YOUR REPLY TO THESE E - mail addresses only : james@mail.iki.ltHYPERLINK "mailto:james_mugabe_2007@myway.com" OR HYPERLINK "mailto:jamesmugabe01@hotmail.com"jamesmugabe01@hotmail.com

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam