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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
  (+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 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:
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • mackthabo_sa@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
  • 3amackthabo_sa@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: "Felix Mashaba" <felixmashabathabo18@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 15:15:59 +0200
Subject: NOTICE


Dear Sir,
Compliment, I am MR.Mack thabo.of First National Bank (FNB) in South
Africa. I am in need to contact you on a personal basis, I have got a late
client who left a substantial amount in foreign exchange with my bank, and I
am his account officer up until now having sought for his next of kin for
the past three year I have been mandated to produce a next of kin within a
Provisional time of 30th days or risk national treasury confiscated of this
fund.
Sir you bear the same family names as my late client, I therefore think we
can do business; the amount we are looking at is Five million, six hundred
thousand dollars (5.6M USD).
Please I sincerely seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to
the deceased since you have the same Family names and should come from the
same Nationality, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you as
Beneficiary/Next of Kin.
I only find this arrangement a logical means to an end that will be
beneficial to both of us under a mutual understanding.
In receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the sharing
ratio and modalities for transfer.
I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back you up
for this claim.
All I require from you is your honest cooperation and total commitments,
Which will enable us, see this transaction a success?
I consider this discussion strictly between us for I am still a management
staff of this bank.
Please contact me for further instruction on how we can have this deal
executed. Email:mackthabo_sa@yahoo.com <Email%3Amackthabo_sa@yahoo.com>,
Respond ASAP.
Regards,
MR.Mack thabo.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam