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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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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)
  • "million united states 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)
• 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.
  • michael_williams005@yahoo.co.uk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "michael williams" <michael_williams8400@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: michael_williams005@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:41:25 +0000
Subject: Mr. Michael Williams

Mr. Michael Williams (chief accountant),
Auditing and accounting unit
Absa Bank Krugersdorp Branch
80 key west Building centre, 19 Kruger Street
South Africa.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Mr. Michael Williams, the chief accountant of AMALGAMATED BANK OF SOUTH
AFRICA (ABSA). There is an account open in this bank in 1999 and since 2001
nobody has operated on this account again. After going through some old
files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money out
urgently it would be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is Mr.
Morris Thomson, a foreigner, Business Man and a miner at Kruger Gold
Company, a Geologist by profession and he died since 2000.No other person
knows this account or anything concerning it, the account has no other
beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that this company does
not know anything about this account and the money involved is Thirty Six
Million United States Dollars (US$ 36 Million). I want us to first transfer
US$16 Million from this money into your safe overseas account before the
rest.

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be
approved to a local bank here, but can only be approved to any foreign
account because the money is in United States Dollars and the former Owner
Mr. Morris Thomson is a foreigner too. I know that this message will come to
you as surprise as we don’t know ourselves before.

You can view the web site bellow for more information on our late client.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/


I got your details courtesy of a member of South African export promotion
council (S.E.P.C) who was at your country during a trade exbition as a
government delegation; with believe in God that you will never let me down
in this business, considering my position as a public servant. You are the
only person that I have contacted in this business; so please reply urgently
so that I will inform you the next step to take immediately. Send also your
private telephone and fax numbers including the full details of your account
to be used for the deposit. I want us to meet face-to-face and sign a
binding agreement to bind us together so that you can receive this money
into your account where the fund will be safe. And I will fly to your
country for withdrawal and sharing and other investment.


Meanwhile, I am contacting you because of the need to involve a foreigner
with foreign account and foreign beneficiary. I need your full co-operation
to make this work fine because the management is ready to approve this
payment to any foreigner who has correct information of this account, which
I will give to you as soon as you indicate your sincerity to co-operate with
me, and capability to handle such amount in strict confidence and trust
according to my instruction and advice for our mutual benefit because this
opportunity may never come again in my life. With my position in the office
I don’t want anything that will jeopardize my job so I advice that we should
make secrecy and confidentiality our primary working condition, bearing in
mind that I am a public servant. I will also use my position and influence
to effect legal approvals and onward transfer of this money to your account
with appropriate clearance forms of the ministries and foreign exchange
department. Please reply via my email: michael_williams005@yahoo.co.uk


Yours sincerely,

Mr. Michael Williams

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam