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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.

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Fraud email example:

From: wthabo300@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 02 Mar 2005 15:32:18 +0200
Subject: FROM: DR. Williams Thabo

FROM: DR. Williams Thabo

DEPARTMENT OF MINING AND QUARRY.

EMAIL: wthabo300@yahoo.com



DATE: 2nd March 2005.



STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL & URGENT.





The South African Economy has witnessed a steady growth since the end of Apartheid. Within the Department of Mining, Quarry and Mineral Resources where I worked as director of Auditing and Project Implementation, Mining and

Quarrying alone contributes 12.3% GD (R25.9Billion), Gold made up R19.9Billion of the yearly export while Base metals and other mineral products contribute R6.7Billion and R5.0 Billion respectively. This figure excludes Diamond,

Which is quoted separately.



The Government has 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 has sponsored several trade delegations 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$15,500,000.00

(Fifteen 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 your 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 funds is legitimate and authoritative; our caucus extends from my Department to the

Ministry of Finance. It may interest you to know that a few years ago, a similar transaction was carried out with one Mr. Patrice Miller, The President of Crane International Trading Corporation, at No. 135, East 57th Street, 28th Floor, New York, 10022,with Telephone No. (212) 308-7788 and Telex No.

6731680.After the agreement between the partners, in which he was to take 15% of the money, which was duly transferred into his account only to be disappointed on arrival in New York as we were reliably informed that Mr. Patrice Miller was no longer on that address, while his Telephone and Telex

Numbers had been changed that is how we lost US$21.43M to Mr. Patrice Miller.



This time around we need a more reliable and trustworthy person or a reputable company to do business with, hence this letter to you. If you are interested and can prove yourself to be trustworthy then we can this transaction with you.





I have reposed my confidence in you and hope you will not disappoint me. Should you be willing to assist positively with a common goal, endeavor to contact me immediately through my email address above.

I await in anticipation your fullest co-operation.



Yours Faithfully,





Dr. Williams Thabo

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