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.

 

 

Fraud email example:

From: "musa fosta" <mu_fosta06@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 20:19:50 +0200
Subject: Warm Greetings!

From: Mr Musa Fosta
Johannesburg South Africa,
Tell: 27-73-303-1044,
E-mail: mr_musa_f@mail.com

FAMILY REQUEST FOR HELP

Attn:

I am writting this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since we
have not known or met ourselves previously I am asking for your assistance
after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you.

I want to find out if it's possible for you to deal with individual as to
investment. I came across your profile and I feel it's highly reputable that
is why I pick an interest getting across to you in respect of investment at
my disposal .

I be will so glad if you can allow me and lead me to the right channel
towards your assistance to my situation now.I will make my proposal well
known if I am given the opportunity.

I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself to you.Well I am
Musa Fosta from Zimbabwe,the only son of Mr. Fosta Nkosi, My father is now
late,he died some weeks back during the last and current crisis in my
country(Zimbabwe).

During the current war against the farmers in Zimbabwe from the supports of
our President Robert Mugabe to claim all the white-owned farms to his party
members and his followers, he ordered all white farmers to surrender all
their farms to his party members and his followers.

My father is one of the best farmers in our country and because he did not
support Mugabe's ideas, Mugabe's supporters invaded my father's farm and
burnt everything in the farm, killing my father and made away with a lot of
items in my father's farm.

Before his death, my father had deposited with one of the Security Company
in Johannesburg, South Africa the sum of US$14.6 Million (Fourteen Million
Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars).with my name,and made every
documents with my name both the certificate of depositry.

Then after the death of my father, we decided to move to the Republic of
South Africa where he had deposited the money in the Security Company as
valuables. So,I decided to contact you to assist me to transfer this money
out of South Africa because as asylum seekers we are not allowed to operate
any bank account within South Africa.

We have agreed to offer you 20% of the total sum for your assistance, 10%
will be mapped out for any expenses that may be incurred in the course of
this transaction and 70% will be for me and my family to invest in your
country.

All I want you to do is to furnish me with your full personal phone and fax
numbers for easy communication, and try to contact me immediately on my
private E-mail address (mr_musa_f@mail.com) or above Telephone Number. Note
that this transaction is 100% risk free and absolutely confidential.

Thanks and God bless.

Best Regards,
Musa Fosta
(For The family).


Anti-fraud resources: