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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: "susan shabangu" <shabangususan@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 04 Jul 2005 20:54:23 +0000
Subject: URGENT FAMILY ASSISTANT

Dear Sir,

With due respect trust and humility, I write you this proposal, which I
believe will be a great interest to you. I found your contact while I was
doing a private research on the Internet for a reliable and capable foreign
partner that will assist I and my family. That's why I contacted you.
I am Mrs Susan Shabangu Sithole, the wife of Mr Roberth Sithole of Zimbabwe.
During the current war against famers in Zimbabwe and from the support of
our President Robert Mugabe to claim all the white owned farms in our
country, all the white and black farmers were ordered to surrender their
farms to his party members and his followers. My husband who was one of the
best farmers in our country and treasurer of the farmer's Co-operation did
not support the idea and so the party members invaded my husband's farms and
burnt everything in the farm, killed my husband and made away with a lot of
items in my husband's farm. After the death of my husband, my children and I
decided to move out of Zimbabwe because our lives were in danger, before my
husband died he notified me about safe he deposited in a security and
finance company in South Africa as if he knows or dreamt about his death.
The amount contained in the safe is US$26,5 Million (Twenty Six Million,
Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) and now we have decided to move
this money out,where it was deposited with a private Security Company as a
valuables in a box/consignment.
This my husband did for security reasons and to keep it off from public
eyes. I have two options, first you can choose to have certain percentage of
the money for nominating your account for this transaction, or you can go
into partnership with my son for proper profitable investment of the money
in your country. Whichever the option you want, feel free to notify me. I
have also mapped out 5% of this money for all kinds of expenses that might
be incured in the process of this transaction. If you do not prefer a
partnership, I am willing to give you 20% of the total money, while 75% will
be for my family. If you are really capable and willing to assist me as soon
as you get this message please contact my son James Sithole immediately with
this telephone number (+27-732408316) or by email (jamesitho48@hotmail.com),
he knows also about this transaction for details on how to execute this
transaction to the satisfaction of everybody He is also the next of kin.

Finally I want you to know that your ability to keep confidential
information about this transaction is very important as all our hope for a
better life depends on this money.

Best Regard, Mrs.Susan Shabangu Sithole


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