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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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  (+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:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. )
  • "million 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)
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
• 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.
  • anthonyjohnson3@mighty.co.za (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: helen johnson <mrshelenjohnson55@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <mrs_helenjohnson@yahoo.fr>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:07:31 +0200
Subject: LETTER OF ASSISTANCE




FROM: MRS HELEN JOHNSONHARARE ZIMBABWEE-MAI:

LETTER OF ASSISTANCE

ATTENTION: Sir/Madam

You might be surprise to receive this mail letter from me since you don’t now me personally. I am Mrs. Helen Johnson the wife of late Mr Michael Johnson who was murdered by the Zimbabwean war veterans and irate black people. I am writing this letter from Harare, Zimbabwe.

I got your contact address through a friend that works in South Africa chamber of commerce and Industry in South Africa, when I go to South Africa to see my son Anthony. After due consideration of your Profile, hence I decided to write to you. I write to solicit for your special assistance to my family Shattered by a tyrannical government led by a dictator and his (ZANU-PF) ruling party, President ROBERT MUGABE.

Because of land and farmland crisis in Zimbabwean the government secretly sponsored the war Veterans and some irate party members to dispose the land being occupied by the white farmers.This action has led to killing of some members of opposition party including my husband who did not support this ill-fated action. But before the death of my husband, he anticipated some dangers and so he smuggled out the sum of US$25.5 million dollars (Twenty five million five Hundred Thousand united state dollars) to South Africa and deposited it in a Security Company With the intention of using it for the purchase of farm machinery and chemicals for agricultural Purpose in South Africa and establishment of a new farm in Swaziland.

This money was deposited in a box as family valuables to avoid much demurrage in the Security Company. On the 29 august 2001 the war veterans and some spotters of (ZANU-PF) ruling party trooped into our compound and axed my husband to death and my second son of 25yrs. Since then they have been terrorizing my son Anthony but he managed to escape to neighbouring country South Africa as a political asylum seeker (refugee).

His position in South Africa does not permit him to open an account or to operate any business. That is why I want this fund to be transferred in your account so that you will assist him to invest the money in your country. If you accept to assist us, all I want from you is to arrange and come down to Johannesburg South Africa so that you can help him to open a non-resident bank account in your name, or in your company name which will aid us in transferring the money into your nominating account overseas.

I and my family have two options for you, firstly, you can choose to have certain percentage of the money for nominating your account in this transaction or we can go into partnership with you for the proper profitable investment of the money in your country whichever the option you want fell free to notify with him. He will then furnish you with every detail you needed to know.

We have also mapped out 5% of the total sum for any expenses that might be incurred during the time of this transaction. If you do not prefer a partnership, we are willing to give you 25% of the money while the remaining 70% will remain for my family, if you are really capable and willing to assist us please contact him immediately in South Africa with this

Telephone 00-27-72 4496858,
Email: anthonyjohnson3@mighty.co.za

Finally please treat this mater as urgent as possible, I’m in dire him to leave that country soonest. Thanks for you’re mutual co-operation.

Urgent response and I expecting you’re soonest.

Best Regards,

MRS HELEN JOHNSON.


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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam