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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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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Fraud email example:

From: "vincent selfe" <vinselfe@tiscali.it>
Reply-To: vinselfe@indiatimes.com
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 13:43:04 +0100
Subject: DEAR FRIEND

FROM THE DESK OF MR. VINCENT SELFE.
Dear Friend,

It is my great pleasure to write you this letter on behalf of my colleagues.
I got your information from a colleague in the chamber of commerce in my
country while searching for a reliable partner to assist in this proposal.
I have decided to seek a confidential co-operation with you in execution
of a deal hereunder for the benefit of all parties, and hope you will keep
it confidential because of the nature of this business. Within the Department
of Minerals and energy where I work as the Director of Project implementation,
with co-operation of two other top officials, we have in our possession,
an overdue payment in US funds.

The said funds represent certain percentage of the contract value executed
on behalf of my Ministry by a foreign contracting firm, which we the officials
over-invoiced to the amount of US$26.5M. (Twenty-Six Million Five Hundred
Thousand United States Dollars). Though the actual contract cost has been
paid to the original contractor, leaving the excess balance unclaimed.

The Government of the Republic of South Africa believe that private investment
in general, and foreign direct investment in particular, are the real engines
for sustainable economic development, for which reason it has continued
to encouraged investment in the key growth-oriented sector of Mining with
sincere determination to pay foreign contractors all debts owed to them,
so as to continue to enjoy close relationship, and mutually beneficial co-operation
with foreign governments and non-governmental financial agencies. As a result
we included our bills for approvals with the co-operation of some officials
at the Department of Finance and the Reserve Bank of South Africa (RBSA).
We are seeking your assistance to be the beneficiary of the unclaimed funds,
since we are not allowed to operate foreign account. The changing of beneficiary's
information/ details and other forms of documentation upon application for
claim to reflect the contract money and its approvals will be secured on
behalf of your company or yourself.

I have the authority of my colleagues involved to propose that, should you
be willing to assist us in this transaction your share as compensation will
be 20% while my colleagues and I shall receive 70%, and the balance of 10%
shall be used to reimburse all expenditures, taxes and miscellaneous expenses
so incurred. It does not matter whether or not your company does contract
projects of the nature described here. The assumption is that your company
won the major contract and subcontracted it to other companies. More often
than not, big trading companies and firms of unrelated fields win major
contracts, and subcontract to more specialized firms for execution. This
business itself is 100% safe, provided you treat it with utmost confidentiality.
Also your specialization is not a hindrance to the successful execution
of this mutual beneficiary transaction.

Please if you are interested in this proposal, contact me through this
email address and forward to me these necessary informations;

Full names,company name,contact address,phone and fax numbers.


My regards,

MR. VINCENT SELFE.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam