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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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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "this business is hitch free " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +27738579499 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • zumthaba@unionplus.net

Fraud email example:

From: zumthaba@UnionPlus.net
Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 09:03:16 -0800
Subject: **Message from Zumla **

Message from Zumla Tbaba
From The Manager Credit and foriegn Bills
Equity Finance Company

Harfield,
Pretoria South Africa.
Tel: +27738579499


My name is Zumla Thaba the manager,Credit and Foreign bills of Equity
Finance SOUTH AFRICA. I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of our bank
with account number -908-14-255-114 whose name is Cho, Kwiyoung(Mr.),
an American citizen who died in a plane crash[Korean Air Flight
801] with the whole passengers onboard on August 6,1997.And for your perusal you
can view this website

www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list

Since the demise of this customer, I personally have watched with keen interest
to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one has come to claim
his funds of US$15.5M (Fifteen Million Five Hundred Thoudsand United States Dollars)
which has been with our branch for a very long time. On this note, I decided to seek for
whom his name shall be used as the Next of Kin as no one has come up as his
next of kin. And the banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more
than nine years, because the money will be recalled to the bank treasury as
unclaimed fund after this period.

In view of this I got your contact through a trade journal when i was making a
research on a foreigner i will use in this great opportunity. For your assistant
I am willing to give you 20% of the total amount. Upon the receipt of your
response, I will send you by fax or e-mail the letter of application which you will
type sign and send back to our bank to enable us start this processing of this claim.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitch free and that you
should not entertain any fear as all modalities for the smooth and easy transfer of this fund has
been finalized, this transaction will be completed within five banking days of
recieving your response, after you apply to the bank as a relation to the
deceased.

When you receive this mail. Kindly reply to my private email address below zumthaba@UnionPlus.net

Please include your private Tel/Fax numbers for quick communication on my
personal email address:

Yours Sincerely,
Zumla Thaba
Manager Credit and Foriegn Bills
Equity Finance Company
South Africa
zumthaba@UnionPlus.net

Tel: +27738579499

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam