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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:
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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:
  • "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)
  • "foreign exchange" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
  • "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
• 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.
  • +27832182438 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: daniel mbeki <dmbeki001@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2008 11:52:55 +0100 (BST)
Subject: THANKS








ATTENTION:DIRECTOR/C.E.O

I am DR.DANIEL MBEKI the chief accountant of ABSA Bank (ABSA). There is an account opened in this bank in 1997 and since 1999 nobody has operated on this account again. After going through some old files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit this money out urgently it would be forfeited for nothing.

The owner of this account is Mr. Smith B. Andreas, a foreigner, and a minner at Change Gold Company, a geologist by profession and died since 2000. No other person knows 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 themoney involved is Twenty Four Million United States
Dollars (US$24Million) I want us to transfer US$12 Million from this money into your safe overseas account before the rest.

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a local bank hereabout can only be approved to any foreign account because the money is in United States Dollars and the former owner Mr. Smith B.Andreas is a foreigner too. I know that this message will come to you as a surprise as we don't know ourselves before. We will sign an agreement, but be sure that it is real and genuine business. I got your contact from my secretary who operates computers; with believe in God that you will never let me down in this business, considering my position as a public servant. You are the only person that I have contacted in this business; so please reply me urgently so that I will inform you on the next step to take immediately.

Send also your private telephone and fax numbers including the full details of your account to be used for the deposit. I want us to meet face to face to sign a binding agreement to bind us together so that you can receive this safe. And I will fly to your country for withdrawal and sharing and other investment. Meanwhile, I am contacting you because of the need to involve a foreigner with foreign account and foreign beneficiary.



I need your full co-operation to make this work fine because the management in this is ready to approve this payment to any foreigner who has correct information of this account, which I will give you as soon as you indicate your sincerity to co-operate with me, and capability to handle such an amount in strict confidence and trust according to my
instruction and advice for our mutual benefit because this opportunity may never come again in my life.

I need a truthful and God fearing person in this business because I do not want to make a mistake so I need your strong assurance and trust. With my position in the office I don't want anything that will jeopardize my job so I advice that we should make secrecy and confidentiality our primary working condition, bearing in mind that I am public servant.

I will also use my position and influence to effect legal approvals and onward transfer of this money into your account with appropriate clearance forms of the minstries and foreign exchange department. At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 15% of the total amount, 80% will be for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred in the process of the transfer. I look forward to your earliest reply.

Yours Sincerely,

DANIEL MBEKI
+ 27 832182438



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Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam