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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: "Chris Douglas" <chrisdouglas2000@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: chrisdouglas1960@yahoo.co.in
Date: Sat, 05 Nov 2005 19:06:22 +0100
Subject: Department of Mineral & Energy (DME).

Department of Mineral & Energy (DME).
Republic of South Africa,
Pretoria.

Dear Prospective Partner,

I am Engr.Chris Douglas,a native of Cape Town in South Africaand I am an
Engineer working with the South Africa Department of Mining & Energy.

First and foremost I apologise for using this medium to reach you for a
transaction of this magnitude but this is due to confidentiality and prompt
access reposed on this medium.

Be informed that a member of the South Africa Export Promotion Council
(SEPC) who was part of my government delegation to your country during a
recent Trade Exhibition gave your enviable credentials/particulars to me
while assuring me on your competence to handle a business transaction
involving a large sum of money with absolute confidentiality.

Therefore 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 while hoping you will
keep it as top secret because of the nature of this transaction.

Within the Department of Mining & Energy where I work as a Director and with
the cooperation of three other top officials,we have in our possession an
overdue contract payment bills totalling Sixteen Million,Four Hundred
Thousand United States Dollars($16,400,000.00).This money which we intend to
process its transfer as a form of contract payment into a reliable
company/individual account depending on your convenience.

Your assistance and co-operation is required due to the circumstances
surrounding our work as Government officials whereby the South Africa Civil
Service Code of Conduct does not allow us to operate an Offshore Bank
account hence your importance in the whole transaction.

Presently, this amount ($16.4M) representing 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 is lying unclaimed in
the Government Escrow Bank Account with the Reserve Bank of South Africa.We
hereby seek your assistance and co-operation that will enable us to process
this sum of money to you as a form of contract payment.

We have the necessary authority to validate and forward approvals of
outstanding contract claims to
the Government for final payment on approval through the Reserve Bank of
South Africa (RSBA).

All partners agreed while mandating me to propose that should you be willing
to assist us in the transaction,your share of the sum will be 20% of the
$16.4 million,70% will be for us,5% for Charity
Organisations and 5% for any expenses incurred during the course of this
project including telephone and fax bills.

The business itself is 100% safe on your part provided you treat it with
utmost secrecy and confidentiality.Also note that your area of
specialisation is not an hindrance to the successful execution of this
transaction.

I have reposed my confidence in you while awaiting your prompt response and
i know that you will not let me down when the funds have been transferred
into any account that you will nominate.

Finally on your part, we will appreciate you treat this transaction as
confidential as possible, while we
assure you of a 100% risk free transaction provided you follow our
instruction religiously.

I await your confirmation of my message while praying that this will be the
begining of a lifelong
partnership between us.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Yours faithfully,

Engr.Chris Douglas

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam