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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) 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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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - that's what the scam is about)
  • "will come to you as a surprise" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "million united states dollars" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
• This email message is a next of kin scam.
• This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
  • philliphester@myway.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "claudia hester" <mrshester350@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 06:38:35 +0000
Subject: greetings

FROM MRS CLAUDIA HESTER
ADDRESS: ASYLUM CAMP 4, ROOM 193, YOVIEL
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA.

Dear Sir,

Our present situation has made us decided to send you this mail that I
am sure will come to you as a surprise. Please we mean you no harm only
we are in a desperate situation and need urgent help. After going
through this letter it will be your decision, whether to help this bereaved
family or to leave us to our faith, but whatever you decide, bear in mind,
that we are in trouble and need your help.

I am Mrs. Claudia Hester, the wife of late Mr. Gibson Hester the
Zimbabwean farm lord, one of the major victims in the land reform crisis in
Zimbabwe. You might have read or heard about it. We obtain your contact
privately and decided to contact you in view of your profession and
confirmed reliability.

Our country Zimbabwe is in a near civil war with no end in sight. The
President Robert Mugabe had introduced a new land reform act meant
to deprive and relocate all the major Farm owners in Zimbabwe. This has
resulted in the Zimbabwean war veteran and black mob killing, looting and
displacing the entire major farms in Zimbabwe. Thousands have been killed;
my husband and my two children are among the victims, as we own one of the
biggest modern farms in the Southern Africa region. You can get more
information on this land reform on

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/222097.stm

Before my husband was murdered in cold blood, he traveled to South Africa
due to the rage and killing and deposited the sum of USD$30.000.000.00
(Thirty Million United States Dollars) in a security company in South
Africa, it was deposited as a family valuable to avoid unnecessary attention
and high demurrage payment as this money was actually meant for the
development and building of an ultra modern farms in Southern African region
with all its machineries, but he did not live to accomplish this dream.
Faced with this situation, I ran to South Africa with my remaining
family where we are currently residing as political Asylum.

Now according to South African law we are not allowed to have financial
transaction this is the reason we seek your candid assistance to help
us as a foreigner to retrieve this fund (USD$ 30.000.000.00) from the
security company, and subsequently plan for a profitable investment where
part of this fund could be invested in, in your country.

Please do understand that there is no risk of any kind involve in this,
as all modalities are already in place for a successful conclusion of
this transaction. All that we require of you is your reliability and
trustworthiness not to take advantage of our vulnerable position in this
matter. We have resolved to reward you with 20% of the total sum after a
successful completion of the business transaction, 5% will be to offset
every expenditure that we might incure as a result of this transaction, 65%
will be for proposed business investment and 10% will be used to purchase
country home for me and my son Phillip. This money is all we have left for
my remaining family and me. I am presently on a sick bed; my ill health is
due to the trauma from what I have been through. More so I will need your
assistant to help us migrate over immediately this fund is transferred to
your account. We need not remind you of the confidential nature of this
transaction, please keep it as such. Contact my son Phillip with the email
address below he is presently in charge due to my ill health.

Email: philliphester@myway.com

Yours faithfully,
Claudia Hester

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam