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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
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• 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:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "first national bank" (not involved with lotteries)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "hundred thousand 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)
  • ",500,000" (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)
  • "00,000.00" (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)
  • "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "chief auditor" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• 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.
  • marojohnson@yahoo.com
  • fnbforigntransfer29@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:29:15 +0100
Subject: URGENT FUND TRANSFER




FROM ZUMA .M. JOHNSON
THE CHIEF AUDITOR (F.N.B). <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

SOUTH AFRICA (BRANCH) <o:p></o:p>

TEL: +27 10383865

Dear Sir/Madam,

I know that this massage will come as a surprise to you since we dont know each other, but for the purpose of introduction, I am ZUMA .M. Johnson, THE CHIEF AUDITOR of First National Bank of South Africa (F.N.B). First and foremost, I Apologize using this medium to reach you for a transaction / business of this magnitude, but this is due to Confidentiality and prompt access reposed on this medium. Be informed that a member of the South Africa Export Promotion Council (SEPC) who was at the Government delegation to your country during a trade exhibition gave your enviable credentials / particulars to me. I plea to seek a confidential co-operation with you in the execution of the deal described hereunder for the benefit of all parties and hope you will keep it as a top secret because of the nature of this transaction. <o:p></o:p>

There is an account opened in this bank in 1998 and since 2006, nobody has operated on this account again. After going through some files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money urgently, it would be forfeited for nothing.

The owner of the account is Mr. Smith Andreas, a foreigner and miner at Kruger Gold Co., a geologist by profession and he died. Since 2005, no other person knows about this account or anything concerning it. The account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that his company does not know anything about this account and the amount involved is US$21,500,000.00 (twenty one million, five hundred thousand United States dollars).

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because the 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 of the account is Mr. Smith Andreas also a foreigner.

We will sign an agreement and be less assured that it is real and a genuine business. Please reply urgently so that I can inform you of the next step to take immediately. Send also your private phone numbers, email address including details of the account to be used for the deposit. I want us to meet face to face or sign a binding agreement to bind us together so that you can receive this money into a foreign account or any account of your choice where the funds will be safe. I will fly to your country for withdrawal and sharing and other investments. 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 later immediately if you are capable and willing to handle such amount in strict confidence and trust according to my instructions and advice for our mutual benefit because this opportunity may never come again in my life. I need a truthful person in this business because I don’t want to make mistakes. I need your strong assurance and trust.

With my position now in my office, I can transfer this money to any foreigners reliable account that you can provide with assurance that this money will be intact pending my physical arrival in your country for sharing. I will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place. You can also come to discuss with me face to face after which I will make this remittance in your presence and two of us will fly to your country at least two days ahead of the money going into your account. I will apply for annual leave to get visa immediately I hear from you that you are ready to receive this fund in your account. I will 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 departments. At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 25% of the total amount, 70% will be for me while 5% will be for expenses that might have incurred during the process of transferring. I look forward to your earliest reply through my private e-mail address: marojohnson@yahoo.com [mailto:marojohnson@yahoo.com] or fnbforigntransfer29@yahoo.com [mailto:fnbforigntransfer29@yahoo.com].<o:p></o:p>


Best regards
ZUMA .M. JOHNSON <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam