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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:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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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:
  • "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.
  • +27732102811 (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.
  • wilsonkuluma01@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:34:50 -0700
Subject: URGENT


FROM: MR WILSON KULUMA
NO.1 GALLO MANOR, SANDTON
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA.
TEL: +27 73 2102 811

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL

KIND ATTN: 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. WILSON
KULUMA, the CHIEF AUDITOR OF AMALGAMATED BANKS OF SOUTH AFRICA (ABSA).

There is an account opened in this bank in 1982 and since 1992 nobody has
operated on this account again but all this came to light after an internal
auditing that I conducted last year November 2007 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 MR PAT MEHRABAN IRANI, a foreigner and a miner at Kruger Gold Co, a
geologist by profession and he died since 1990.No other person knows about
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 the amount involved is (USD11.5M) ELEVEN
MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATE DOLLARS.

I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be
approved to a local bank here, but can only approved to any foreign account
because the money is in US DOLLARS and the former owner of the account was
MR PAT MEHRABAN IRANI. We will sign an agreement, but I assure you that it
is real and a genuine business.

Please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take
immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the
full details of the account to be used for the deposit. More so, I want us
to meet face to face in other to sign a binding agreement together 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 am contacting you because of
the need to involve your full co-operation on how to make this work fine. I
have correct information of this account, which 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 after which I will make this remittance in your presence and
two of us will fly to your country at least two days ahead of the money will
enter the account.

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 45% of the total sum, 50% will be for
me, and meanwhile 5% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred
during the process of transferring. I look forward to your earliest reply.
Please do reply to my private email : wilsonkuluma01@yahoo.com

Kind regards,

Wilson Kuluma.

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam