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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:
  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:

• 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)
  • "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.

Fraud email example:

From: sbani zuma <sbani200730@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <sbani_zuma01@yahoo.ie>
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:47:40 +0000
Subject: SBANI ZUMA




Dear Sir/Madam, I am Mr. Sbani Zuma, the chief accountant of AMALGAMATED BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA (ABSA). There is an account opened 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 ambition 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.I await your urgent reply. Yours sincerely,Mr.Sbani Zuma.

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam