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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

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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:
  • "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)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "chief auditor" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  
• 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.
  • elvis_weteya@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: Elvis Weteya <elvisweteya02@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <elvisweteya@myway.com>
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:43:35 +0000
Subject: Dear Friend, urgent business proposal



Dear sir/ Madam, I am Mr. Elvis Weteya, The Chief Auditor of the DEXTRA BANK AND TRUST CO LTD. I got your contact address from the Trade and Exhibition Center in Johannesburg and you are the only person that I have contacted in this business with believe that you will not let me down and we will work together to develop trust and confidence in this business. After going through some old files in the records department, I discover that there is an account opened in 2000 belong to the late Mr. Smith B.Straws, a foreigner and a miner at Kruger Gold Company a geologist by profession and since 2000 nobody has operated the account following Mr. Straws death in 2001. Since then, no person knows about this account,and the amount involved is US$25 M{ Twenty-Five Million United States Dollars} . I would like to first transfer this fund into your account as a foreigner because Mr. Smith was a foreigner then later I will join you for disbursement and investment opportunity which you will have access to it. I am only contacting you because of your foreign status as this money cannot be approved to a local bank here, but can be approved to any foreign account because the money is in a foreign currency and former owner of the account, Mr. S. B. Straws was a foreigner. Because of the need to involve a foreign account, I need your full co-operation to make this work fine because the management is ready to approve the payment to whoever has the correct information to this account, of which I will give you later, if you are able to handle such amount in strict confidence and trust according to my instruction and advice for our mutual benefits because this opportunity will never come again in our lives. I need a trustworthy person in this business because I don’t want to make a mistake and I need your strong assurance, trust and reliability. With my position now in the office and the influence of a top bank director of the Nigerian Reserve Bank, I will make sure that this money is transferred into any reliable account, which you can provide with the assurance that this money will be intact pending my physical arrival in your country for my sharing. Your physical presence is also welcome in Nigeria where the transfer will be done in your presence. I have the tendency to invest my own share of the money in your country in expectation to a sound management and good capital returns according to your advice. Be rest assured, you stand no risk of any kind as the fund belong to us now, therefore after the eventual stage of the transfer of this fund, I am offering you 30% of the total fund, 65% will be for my investment, while 5% will be set aside for expenses that might be incurred during the cause of transaction. I strongly believe that associating with you to embark on this fund transfer and other business ventures will derive a huge success there after. I will use my position to effect approvals for onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance form from the ministries and foreign exchange department. I am counting on your sense of confidentiality, as it is my desire that you keep this to yourself and endeavor to furnish me with your full names, private telephone(Preferably)Mobile, Fax numbers and your bank details where you would like the fund to be transferred into for a quick arrangements and approval. Do get back to me with this email address:(elvis_weteya@yahoo.com) Looking forward to your urgent respond. Yours truly, Elvis Weteya
_________________________________________________________________
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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam