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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
  • "first national bank" (not involved with lotteries)
• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
  • "hundred thousand united state 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)
  • "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
  • "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 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.
  • +27782734500 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)
• 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.
  • charlesthanbo@yahoo.com

Fraud email example:

From: Mr Charles Thanbo <charlesthanbo@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:08:59 +0200
Subject: I NEED YOUR URGENT RESPONSE PLEASE


(FNB Home Page)

NO. 1 GALO MANOE SANDTON, *
JOHANESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Sir/madam,

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 Charles Thanbo, THE CHIEF AUDITOR OF FIRST NATIONAL BANKS OF SOUTH AFRICA (F.N.B). There is an account opened in this bank in 1990 and since 2001 nobody has operated on this account again but all this came to light after an internal auditing that I conducted this year January 2008 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 ENGINEER CHRISTIAN EICH, an engineer who ran carmaker BMW's museum, and he died since 31st July 2000. [http://1990.no/] No other person knows about this account or anything concerning it, since he died with his family in the plane crash, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that his company does not know anything about this account and the amount involved is (USD$22.5M) TWENTY TWO MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATE DOLLARS.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>*

* <o:p></o:p>*

*HERE IS THE PLANECRASH WEB SITE/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm] YOU CAN AS WELL CHECK IT FOR PROPER VERIFICATION

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a local banker residing here in South Africa, but can only be approved to any foreign account owner because the money is in US DOLLARS and the former owner of the account was ENGINEER CHRISTIAN EICH who is a foreigner. Please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax number, Furthermore, I want us to meet face to face in other to sign a binding agreement together or we can as well consult a lawyer who will write an agreement for us if you will be unable to come down to South Africa, 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 have correct information of this account, which I 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 here in Johannesburg South Africa 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 40% of the total sum, 50% will be for me, and meanwhile 10% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred during the process of transferring this money. I look forward for your earliest reply. <o:p></o:p>*

<o:p></o:p>

You can reach me with the address bellow<o:p></o:p>



Email address: charlesthanbo@yahoo.com [mailto:charlesthanbo@yahoo.com] *<o:p></o:p>*

Phone no: +2778-2734-500 *<o:p></o:p>*



**

**Best regards,<o:p></o:p>

Mr. Charles Thanbo (FNB CHIEF AUDITOR)*<o:p></o:p>*

<o:p></o:p>


(FNB Home Page)
Schon gehört? Der neue WEB.DE MultiMessenger kann`s mit allen:
*http://www.produkte.web.de/messenger/?did=3016* [http://www.produkte.web.de/messenger/?did=3016]

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam