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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:
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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:
  • "to your nominated bank account" (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)
  • "your urgent reply" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
• 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.
  • +27847567141 (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.
  • wilfred6000@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "wilfred james" <wilfred095@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:48:02 +0000
Subject: VERY URGENT !!

Good Day To You,

Please let me introduce my self, I am Mr. Wilfred James, manager audit
account department of First National Bank, South Africa (FNB).

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of TEN MILLION, UNITED
STATES DOLLARS ($10,000,000.00) in an account that belongs to one of our
foreign customer who died along with his entire family in an airplane crash.

Since the bank got information about his death we have been expecting his
next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release the
fund unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the
deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws, but unfortunately
we learnt that all his supposed next of kin died alongside with him at the
plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

And our banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remains
unclaimed after five years, such money will be moved into the banking
treasurer as unclaimed fund.

The request of a foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by
the fact that the deceased customer was a foreigner, a citizen south Africa
cannot stand as next of kin.

If you accept my proposal to do this deal to the end, 30% of the total money
will be for you as a foreign partner while 10% will be set aside to cover
any expenses that might be incurred during the process of transferring the
fund to your nominated bank account.

If you're willing to handle this deal with me kind get back to me with your
full names, Private telephone and fax numbers for easy communications well
as your kind of job or business to enable me know whom I’m dealing with.

Note: I demand the highest trust from you to keep this business strictly
confidential for security reasons as you may know that the bank don't know
that I am the one that contacted you to stand for this claim.

At the end of this transaction that will be when the money will hit your
account safely I will then come over to your country for sharing the fund
according to the previous agreed percentage, you might even have to advice
me on possibilities of investment in your country.

I am expecting your urgent reply so that I will send to you an application
form, which you will fill and send directly to the bank. You can contact me
strictly on Telephone: + 27 847 567 141, or through this email:
wilfred6000@hotmail.com

Best regards,

Mr. Wilfred James

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam