419 scam: "Mr. Edward Johnson"<edwardjohnson206@outlook.com> Dear Sir/Madam,

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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

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.
This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "might come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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)
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.
- edwardjohnson@webmail.co.za (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr. Edward Johnson"<edwardjohnson206@outlook.com>
Reply-To: edwardjohnson@webmail.co.za
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2016 11:33:37 +0200
Subject: Dear Sir/Madam,

Mr. Edward Johnson
Tel: +27- 631697931
EMAIL: edwardjohnson@webmail.co.za

Dear Sir/Madam,

This proposal might come to you as a surprise, since it is from someone you do not know or have never seen before, but based on FAITH, I had to contact you believing that you are a reputable person and as such you cannot run away with my own share of the money the conclusion of the transaction.

I am Mr. Edward Johnson the director and coordinator of Finance and Contract Department of the Minerals and Energy with South African Government. The crux of this letter is that the finance / contract department of the DME deliberately over-inflated the contract values of various contract awarded. In the course of disbursement of the original contract value, my office was able to track down the sum of US$34 Million Dollars as the over invoiced sum. This money is now floating in the DME domiciliary account with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).
I and my colleagues now want to quickly transfer this fund to a safe nominated foreign account for possible investment abroad. We are not allowed as a matter of government policy to operate any foreign account because of our status as civil / public servants. Hence the needs to solicit for a partner abroad to enable us transfer this money into your foreign bank account. Upon your acceptance of this proposal, we have also agreed on a sharing ratio of;

1. 25% for you as the account owner
2. 70% for I and my colleagues
3. 5% will be set aside to defray all incidental expenses both locally and internationally during the course of this transaction, which will be shared at the end of the transaction according to each parties input.

Furthermore, we shall be coming over to your country when the money is finally in your account and we shall be relying on your advice as regards to investment of our share. Be informed that this business is genuine and 100% safe considering the high powered government officials involved.

Send to my E-mail address the following information:
Your Full names, company name and address.
Your Telephone and fax number for effective communication
This is to effect the swift transfer of this fund into your account in less than 14 working days. Contact me strictly via my email address or my private phone number, while looking forward to a healthy business relationship with you.

Yours Faithfully,
Mr. Edward Johnson
E-Mail: edwardjohnson@webmail.co.za
Tel: +27-631697931

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam