joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

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

Fraud email example:

From: RICHARD AND SISTER <wilfordrichard@walla.com>
Reply-To: richardwilford@myway.com
Date: Sat, 01 Oct 2005 19:50:24 +0200
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP!!!


Mr. Richard Wilford
Spain Barcelona
email:richard1wilford@yahoo.com


Dear Friend.

I am Mr. Richard Wilford, the only son of late Chief John Wilford from Sierra-Leone. I got your contact from the Internet through My Search to help me and need assistance from you.,i am sorry to inconvinience you,But your help is Needed in our life.
My sources of your contact gave me encouragement and confidence to write
you. I am writing you in absolute confidence primarily to seek for your assistance
to transfer our cash of (Fifty-Five Million United Stated Dollars) (55,000,000.00)
now in the custody of a spanish bank In Europe to your
private account pending our arrival to your country.

SOURCES OF THE FUND
My late father, chief John Richard Wilford, a native of Mende District in
the northern province of Sierra-Leone, he was the general manager of Sierra-Leone
Mining Co-operation (S.L.M.C) Freetown. According to my father, this money
was the income accrued from mining co-operation overdraft and minor sales.
Before the peace of the civil war between the rebel forces of Major Paul
Korormah and the combined forces of ECOMOG peace keeping operation that almost
destroyed my country, following the forceful removal of the civilian elected
president Ahmed Tejan Kabbah from power by the rebels.

My father had already made arrangement for his family, my mother, my little sister and myself to be evacuated to Spain, with our personal effort.
My father deposited the Fund with a bank here in Spain for the safe custody until after the war when he will join us.
During the war in my country, and following the! Indiscriminate searching
of the public and government properties by the rebels forces, the Sierra-Leone
mining corporation. Was one of the targets looted and destroyed. My father
including other top government functionaries were attacked and killed by
the rebels because of the relationship with the civilian president Ahmed
Tejan Kabbah.

As a result of my father's death, our hope of survival was shattered. The
untimely deaths caused my mother heart failure and other related complications
of which she later died in hospital after we spent a lot of money on her.
Now, my 16 years old sister and myself are alone in this strange country suffering without any care or help. Without any relation, we are now like refugees and orphans In The street,We dont even have a home,we only survive By the food given to us by the Cruz roja of spain,Meaning Red cross..
Our only hope now is in you and the fund deposited the spanish bank in spain.

To this effect, I humbly solicit for your assistance in the following ways.
To assist me claim this fund from the spanish Bank as the beneficiary. To transfer this money in your name and to your country and to make good arrangement for a joint business investment on our behalf in your country, and you will be the caretaker, and also to secure a college for my little sister and myself
in your country to further our education. And to make arrangement for our
traveling with you to your country after you have transferred this fund.
Most importantly, We Need Trust and Honest person who is willing to help and do his possible to claim to fund from the spanish bank.

The whole document issued after deposit is in my custody. For your assistance, I have conceded 45% of the money to your efforts assistance. Please reply at richard1wilford@yahoo.com if you are willing to Help.Please send Your full name,telephone and Fax Number,Plus Your complete Home adress if you are willing to help me and My little sister.
Best of Regards
Richard Wilford.

Anti-fraud resources: