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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "you will be given 30%" (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 mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +27732003482 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "Mr Paul Bongani" <bongani_31@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: bongani_2@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 19:34:27 +0000
Subject: PLEASE TREAT AS URGENT OKAY!

FROM: MR PAUL BONGANI
TEL: +27 73 200 3482

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL


Kind Attn: My Dear,

I know that this business proposal will come to you as surprise since we
don’t know each other before, but that doesn’t mean that you will not be of
a great help to me, but firstly let me introduce myself, I am Mr. PAUL
BONGANI, the CHIEF AUDITOR OF AMALGAMATED BANKS OF SOUTH AFRICA (ABSA).
There is an account opened in this bank in 1982 and since 1992 nobody has
operated on this account again but all this came to light after an internal
auditing that I conducted last year November 2005 by going through some old
files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money out
immediately it would be forfeited for no reason. The owner of this account
is MR PAT MEHRABAN IRANI, a foreigner and a miner at Kruger Gold Co, a
geologist by profession and he died since 1990.No other person knows about
this account or anything concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary
and my investigation proved to me as well that this company does not know
anything about this account and the amount involved is (USD11.5M) ELEVEN
MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATE DOLLARS.

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be
approved to a local bank here, but can only approved to any foreign account
because the money is in US DOLLARS and the former owner of the account was
MR PAT MEHRABAN IRANI.We will sign an agreement, but I assure you that it is
real and a genuine business. Please reply urgently so that I will inform you
the next step to take immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax
number including the full details of the account to be used for the deposit.
More so, I want us to meet face to face in other to sign a binding agreement
together so that we can receive this money into a foreign account or any
account of our choice where the fund will be safe and I will fly to your
country for withdrawal, sharing and other investments.

I am contacting you because of the need to involve your full co-operation on
how to make this work fine. I have correct information of this account,
which will give to you later, if you are able and willing to handle such an
amount of money in strict confidence and trust according to my instructions
and advice for our mutual benefit. Please I don’t want to make a mistake, I
need your strong assurance and trust. With my position now in the office I
can transfer this money to any foreign reliable account, which you can
provide with assurance that this money will be intact pending my physical
arrival in your country for sharing. I will destroy all documents of
transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place.
You can also come to discuss with me face to face after which I will make
this remittance in your presence and two of us will fly to your country at
least two days ahead of the money will enter the account. I will use my
position and influence to effect the legal approvals and onward transfer of
this money to your account with appropriate clearance forms of the
Ministries and foreign exchange departments. At the conclusion of this
business, you will be given 30% of the total sum, 60% will be for me, and
meanwhile 10% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred during
the process of transferring. I look forward to your earliest reply.

Kind regards,

Mr. Paul Bongani

_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam