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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• 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 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:
  • "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 business is hitch free " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
  • "my direct telephone number" (a "direct line" in a scam usually means an untraceable mobile phone number used by a scammer in an internet cafe, a redirection service number that forwards to a mobile or a free voicemailbox in a different country.)
• 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.
  • +27835214683 (South Africa, prepaid mobile phone)

Fraud email example:

From: "PRIVATE MESSAGE" <message@tualebaba.com>
Reply-To: adams_khumalo@live.co.za
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:41:20 +0000
Subject: From: Mr. Adams Khumalo


From: Mr. Adams Khumalo
First National Bank of South Africa Pretoria South Africa.
Direct Line:+27 835 214 683
Direct Fax No: 002 786 519 1025
Email: adams_khumalo@live.co.za

My name is Mr. Adams Khumalo, the Manager, Credit and Foreign Bills of FIRST NATIONAL BANK (FNB). I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of our bank with account number 6200-14-255-114 whose name is Chung Timothy, (Mr.), an American citizen who died in a plane crash [Korean Air Flight 801] with the whole passengers onboard on August 6, 1997. And for your perusal you can view this website Ref: http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list
Before the death of Mr. Chung Timothy he deposited the sum US$15.5M (Fifteen Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), which has been with our bank for past 10 years. Till date no body has come up for the fund as next of kin. On this note, I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the Next of Kin and the banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more than Eleven years, because the money will be recalled to the bank treasury as unclaimed fund after this period.
In view of this I got your contact through a trade journal when I was making a research on a foreigner I will use in this great opportunity. For your assistance I am willing to give you 30% of the total amount, upon the receipt of your response, e-mail the letter of application which you will type sign and send back to our Bank to enable us start the processing of this claim.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this business is hitch free and that you should not entertain any fear.
When you receive this mail, kindly call me on my direct telephone number ( +27-835 214 683) or reply by email to my personal address (adams_khumalo@live.co.za) immediately. Please do include your full given names as they are in your identity document and your private Tel/Fax numbers for quick communication as time is of essence in this regard.

NOTE THAT WE SHALL BE FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THIS TRANSFER (I. E THIS TRANSACTION NEEDS OUR FINANCIAL COMMITMENT) TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF THE FUND.

Thank you and have a blessed day, warm regards.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. Adams Khumalo
First National Bank of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.
Direct Line +27 835 214 683
Direct Fax No: 0027865191025

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam