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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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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Fraud email example:

From: "KENNEDY BENSON" <kennedy_benson01@sify.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: kennedy_benson@sify.com
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 19:33:31 +0000
Subject: REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP


CONFIDENTIAL TEL: + 27 73 4443201
CONFIDENTIAL FAX: + 27 73 4443203


Dear Sir,



The South Africa economy has witnessed a steady growth since the end of
Apartheid. Within the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources where I
worked as director of Auditing and Project Implementation, Mining and
Quarrying alone contributes 12.3% GDP (R25.9Billion), Gold made up
R19.9Billion of the yearly export while Base metals and other mineral
products contribute R6.7Billion and R5.0Billion respectively. This
figures excludes Diamond, which is quoted separately.

The Government have continuously strived to improve and maintain good
relationship with foreign governments and Non-Governmental financial
agencies by ensuring payments for all debts owed to foreign
contractors. As a matter of fact, the Government have sponsored several trade
delegation overseas to improve and attract foreign investments to South
Africa.

I write to solicit your partnership in a matter I believe will be of
mutual benefit to us. This would require your trust and capability to
work with me with your genuine cooperation according to instructions. I
and two other colleagues involved in this transaction are still in
active government service with the Ministry of Mines & Mineral Resources
and we are in dire need of a foreign partner to assist us in the receipt
and investment of US$ 28,500,000.00 (Twenty-Eight Million Five Hundred
Thousand United States Dollars).

The key issue is the transfer of the said sum to an account that will
be provided by you for this purpose for safekeeping and subsequent
investment in a profitable venture. We are ready to go into an
agreement with you regarding your percentage in this transaction.

It does not matter whether or not you own a company, we shall guide you
on what to do. The basis will be that a major company won a contract
and subcontracted it to you. More often, big trading companies and firms
of unrelated fields win contracts and subcontract to more specialized
firms for execution.

We shall follow strictly all the legal procedures entailed in our laws
and international laws in transferring the funds to you. The source of
the fund is legitimate and authoritative; our caucus extends from my
Ministry (Energy & Mineral Resources) to the Ministry of Finance.

It is pertinent to know that under the South African Government Service
Conduct of Code Civil servants are not allowed to operate or own a bank
account overseas, hence your importance as a foreign partner.

I await in anticipation your fullest co-operation.


Best regards,

KENNEDY BENSON

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam