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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: jcrossjcross@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 13:01:54 -1200
Subject: STRICTLY PERSONNAL

Mr. James Cross
South Africa Department of Minerals & Energy
Pretoria, South Africa
Private Phone+2783 3566265.


STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL & URGENT

I am Mr. James Cross, a native of Cape Town in South Africa and I am an Executive Accountant with the South Africa Department of Minerals & Energy.
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 have decided 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.

Within the Department of Minerals & Energy where I work as an Executive Accountant and with the co-operation of four other top officials, we have in
our possession as overdue payment, bills totalling Sixteen million, two hundred and fifty thousand U. S. Dollars ($16,250,000.00). This is the amount
we want to transfer abroad with the assistance and co-operation of a foreign company/individual to receive the said fund on our behalf or a reliable foreign non-company account to receive such funds. More so, we are handicapped in the circumstances, as the South Africa Civil Service Code of Conduct does not allow us to operate offshore account hence your importance in the whole transaction.

This amount $16.25m represents the balance of the total contract value executed on behalf of my Department by a foreign contracting firm, which we
the officials over-invoiced deliberately. Though the actual contract cost have been paid to the original contractor, leaving the balance to the tune of the
said amount which we have in principle secured approval to remit by Key tested Telegraphic Transfer (K.T.T) to any foreign bank account you will provide by filing in an application through the Justice Ministry here in South Africa for the transfer of rights and privileges of the former contractor to you.

I have the authority of my partners involved to propose that should you be willing to assist us in the transaction, your share of the sum will be 25% of
the $16.25 million; 70% is for us while the rest go for taxation and miscellaneous expenses. The business itself is 100% safe on your part provided you treat it with utmost secrecy and confidentiality. Also, your area of specialisation is not a hindrance to the successful execution of this transaction. I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint me. Endeavour to contact me mmediately by my private telephone and fax numbers whether or not you are interested in this deal.

If you are not, I will then scout for another foreign partner to carry out this deal. I want to assure you that my partners and myself are in a position to make the payment of this claim possible provided you can give us a very strong assurance and guarantee that our share will be secure. Please remember to treat this matter as a very confidential one, because we will not comprehend with any form of exposure as we are still in active Government Service. Note also that time is of essence in this business.


I wait in anticipation of your fullest co-operation.

Yours faithfully,
James Cross.

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