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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
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• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "for your efforts, i am prepared to offer you " (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)
  • "the consignment" (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)
  • "hundred thousand 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.
  • johnson_zulu@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: tex011bond@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:49:52 +0200
Subject: FROM: MR. JOHNSON ZULU

FROM: MR. JOHNSON ZULU

Dear Sir/Madam,
I hope that you are well today. I am the director of logistics and securities with a SECURITY COMPANY here in SOUTH AFRICA. With due respect, I decided to contact you over this business financial transaction worth the sum of Thirty Two Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ($32.5m) in order to entrust this fund into your bank account. This belongs to one of our customers, ANDREAS SCHRANNER (German) who died along with His entire family on 25th, July 2000 in a plane crash disaster. I was very fortune to meet the deceased file when I was arranging the old and abandoned customer's files of 2000-2004 in order to submit to the management accordingly for documentation purposes. Following our security company's policy, it was obviously indicated that if such consignments remains unclaimed for a period of 3 (three) years without somebody who is a foreigner apply and claim the consignment as the next of kin, the consignment will be transferred into the security Treasur!
y as unclaimed. This will cause other staff of my company to notice what is contained in the box. So the request of you as a foreigner is necessarily needed for this claim because a citizen of South Africa cannot come forward to claim the consignment of this kind, since the laws of the country does not pave a way for an indigene to claim such.

Since the real beneficiary of the fund died, my company is expecting the next of kin to apply for the release of the consignment for his or her benefit without delay but unfortunately I learnt through the investigations which I carried out, that there is nobody behind who can come and claim the consignment. I need you to act fast so that we do not loose this once-in-a-life-time- opportunity.

The consignment can be claimed in your name by getting the service of an attorney to stand on your behalf for the claim process after which the funds will be moved to the bank for transfer to any of your nominated account. Should you prefer to pay me a short visit in South Africa for us to meet face to face before the start of the transaction which I think will help build more trust and confidence for the success of this transaction and our relationship.

For your efforts, I am prepared to offer you FOURTY FIVE PERCENT (45%) of the total fund after the completion of the transfer. Also FOURTY FIVE PERCENT (45%) will be for me, the remaining TEN PERCENT (10%) will be for any expenses, which may occur during this process. Thereafter you will help me to visit your country for sharing the money according to the percentage indicated above.

Please note that you should keep this business secret until you confirm the transfer into the bank account which you will provide. And there is NO RISK in this business. All necessary documents related to this and which will prove that you made a legal claim of inheritance shall be provided. Please view details of the plane crash on the website below.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm: it is true that I prayed before I was pushed forward to contact you for this business but I want you to also assure me solemnly that you are a trustworthy, reliable, honest and capable of securing the mentioned funds once transferred. If you are really sure of your integrity, reply me using my Alternative mailbox:( johnson_zulu@hotmail.com), for more detailed information.

Yours faithfully

MR. JOHNSON ZULU

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam