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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

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.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Fraud email example:

From: "Nicholas David" <nicda11@dme-southafrica.com>
Date: Thu, 01 Sep 2005 09:52:11 +0000
Subject: Nobel Chambers

Nobel Chambers
Legal Practitioner & Financial Attorney
# 12 Allen Avenue,Ikeja Lagos NIH
Email:nickdavid4@myway.com

Attn : Sir

I crave your indulgence to kindly attend to this mail in good faith I do not
mean any disrespect approaching you through this medium,it is due to the
time constrain of this matter.My name is Barrister Nicholas David,the
personal attorney to Mr Mark Helt a national of your country .My client Mr
Mark Helt and his family involved in an unfortunate 5th of November 2000
fatal auto crash along Ibadan/Lagos expressway in which many people were
burnt to death.

My client lost his life along with his family,this report gives detail about
the incident :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1009336.stm

My client a former Sub-Comptroller working with Chevron Oil Texaco Nigeria
had left behind before his death a fixed deposit of Fourteen Million seven
hundred thousand united states dollars only($14.7million USD) with a finance
company.Just after his death,the finance company contacted me as his
attorney to provide a next of kin who should inherit his fortune.

This according to them is their policy in such circumstances,well since his
death I have made several inquiries through your embassy to locate any of my
client's close or extended relatives but this exercise had all the years
been fruitless.I had to inform the finance company about my unsuccessfull
effort in locating my client's close relatives.The board of directors of the
company just adopted a resolution and I was mandated to provide his next of
kin for the payment of this money within the next 15 official working days
or forfeit the money as an abandoned fund.The company had planned to invoke
the abandoned property decree of 1994 which gives them the power to
confiscate the funds after the expiration date .

Pressure has been mounting from the finance company but after an
investigation in the finance company,I found out that some of the directors
want to divert this funds into their private accounts for their own interest
and only want to use the excuse that since I am unable to look for a
Beneficiary to make the claim,the money should be made unserviceable and
that means submitting the funds to the federal government of my country and
some to the company management which is not their main intention.Now,I have
reasoned very professionally and I can use my legal knowledge to present a
next of kin of my deceased client.This is legally possible and would be done
in accordance with the laws of the country. Consequently I seek your consent
to present you as the next of kin to the deceased since you are at an
advantage of bearing the same surname with my late client and equally from
the same country,and interestingly,that is the only known means legally in
my Country's Law for such claim to be released.

I have all vital documents that would confer you the legal right to make
this claim and would make them available to you so that the proceeds of this
bank account valued at $14.7 Million USD can be paid to you before it gets
confiscated or declared unserviceable to the bank where this huge amount is
lodged.

Note that this is 100% risk free. I do sincerely sympathize the death of my
client but I think it is unprofitable for his funds to be submitted to the
federal government of this country or some finance company directors.My aim
is to retrieve this funds and for this I seek your assistance.Since I have
been unable to locate the relatives for the past 4year now and since no one
has come for the claim.I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin
of the deceased since you have come from the same country giving you the
advantage so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you and then
you and me can share the money,80% FOR to me and 20% TO you.I know there
might be other persons out there with the same surname as my late client,but
after a little check my instinct tells me to contact you.

Can I trust you on this?I shall assemble all the necessary documents that
will be used to back up your claim. I guarantee that this will be executed
under all legitimate arrangement's that will protect you from any breach of
law.Please kindly send to me your telephone and fax numbers to enable us
discuss further on this transaction .

If this proposal is acceptable by you,do not take undue advantage of the
trust I have bestowed in you,I await your quick response and I look forward
to working with you.
Best Regards
Nicholas David(Esq)


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