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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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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:
  • "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "huge sum of money" (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)
  • "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)
  • "million us 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)
  • "contact me immediately" (they are rushing you so you don't have time to think properly)
  • "a reliable and reputable person to handle this" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "my direct line" (i.e. "call me on my cellphone at the Internet cafe where we scammers hang out")
  • "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
• 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.
  • dribrahimsono@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "IBRAHIM SONO" <dribrahimsono3@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 09:59:45 +0200
Subject: Attention:Sir / Madam!!!!

FROM THE DESK OF DR IBRAHIM SONO

BILL AND EXCHAGE MANAGER. FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT.

ABSA BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA( ABSA ) JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH  AFRICA.

TEL.No.: 09 27 73 0746 207,EMAIL TO REPLY: dribrahimsono@hotmail.com

Dear Friend,

Compliments,

I am writting to seek your co-operation over this business proposal.

First I must solicit your confidence in this transaction, this is by virtue of its nature as being entirely confidential and top secret. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day.

l have decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction,  Let me start by introducing myself properly to you. I am DR IBRAHIM SONO a manager with the ABSA BANK( ABSA) Johannesburg, South Africa.

I came to know you in my Private Search for a Reliable and Reputable Person to handle this Confidential transaction, which involves the transfer of Huge sum of Money to a Foreign Account requiring Maximum Confidence.

In my department, We discovered an abandoned sum of $20 million US DOLLARS (TWENTY MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS.)only,in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire family in a plane crash that took place in Kenya,East Africa, the bank now expects a next of kin as beneficiary. Valuable efforts are being made by the  Bank to get in touch with any of the Brumleys remaining family or relatives but all to no success. the Late DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY,a citizen of Atlanta,United States of America is a known Philantropist in south africa and the whole African continent

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because it cannot be released unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or a relative to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but unfortunately all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this businness proposal to you and release the money to you via your foreign bank account as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and It is because of the perceived possibility of not being able to locate any of Late Brumleys s next kin (He died with his entire family members)

The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclamed after five (5) years, the money will be transfered into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.The request for your assistance and maximum co-operation as a foreign citizen to stand as the next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the deceased customer was a foreigner and a South African cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

The sharing of the fund are thus: 30% of the total sum is reserved for your assistance and co-operation,60% for myself and  my  trusted colleagues and the remainning 10% for expenses for both parties.

If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not make undue advantage of the trust we have bestowed in you.

Best regards, DR IBRAHIM SONO (Manager).

PRIVATE TEL. No.: 09 27 73 0746 207

NOTE

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter on My Direct Line TEL.09 27 73 0746 207.

Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Please , visit the website below for more informations about the Plane Crash and the tragic death of the deceased and his entire family, Late DR.GEORGE BRUMLEY.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html

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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam