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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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:
  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:

• 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:
  • "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)
  • ",000,000" (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)
  • "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal - arrests of online criminals are rare)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • mrs.susankhumalo@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs. Susan Khumalo" <susankhumalo19@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <mrs.susankhumalo@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:58:10 +0200
Subject: My Family Needs Your Urgent assistance



FROM: MRS.SUSAN KHUMALO,
14th Floor Embassy Building Cnr Smith Aliwal
Street Albertan Branch Johannesburg 2000,
South Africa

(URGENT & CONFIDENTIAL)




You may be surprised to receive this strange letter from me. I am Mrs. Susan Khumalo, the wife of Mr. John Khumalo of Zimbabwe . I got your address in my desperate search to get someone overseas to assist my family. My husband was among the rich black farmers in Zimbabwe who were murdered in cold blood by the agent of the ruling government of president Robert Mugabe because my husband was against the method adopted by the government on new land reform act that wholly affected the white farmers in Zimbabwe. Before the Invasion, my husband took me to South Africa as if he foresaw the looming danger in Zimbabwe and deposited US$8,000,000.00 (Eight Million United States Dollars) with a security and financial company in South Africa . This money was for buying farmlands in Lesotho , Swaziland , and also machinery for the farm. Heads of government from western world, especially Britain and the U.S.A, have voiced their condemnation against Mugabe's new land reform act. It is against this background that my family has mandated me to seek assistance to transfer this money to a foreign account for investment purposes. Presently, I am residing in South Africa as an asylum seeker. However, I cannot invest this money here in South Africa because of economic and political instability all over Africa and with the financial laws of South Africa, as an asylum seeker, I have no right to own or open a bank account in my name here in South Africa.

From the above, you can understand that my entire life and family's future depends on this money. I shall be grateful if you can assist me transfer this money out of South Africa into your company or personal account for investment purposes as my next of kin and my late husband's business partner. Please note that this transaction is 100% risk free, and for your effort, I am prepared to offer you 20% of the total sum. The balance I intended to invest in a profitable venture in your country or anywhere you may advice. The major thing I expect from you is absolute assurance that this money will be safe when transferred to your account before my arrival to your country for sharing and investing of the fund. Therefore if you accept to assist my family, we are willing to accept any reasonable condition you may deem necessary, and we can as well go into partnership business with you. Please reply immediately to facilitate immediate action toward the transaction with my private email: mrs.susankhumalo@hotmail.com yours sincerely Mrs. Susan Khumalo
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam