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

Fraud email example:

From: "david paul" <david_paul003@msn.com>
Reply-To: david_paul02@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 06:50:53 +0000
Subject: hello

David Paul
UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC,
BRANCH OFFICE LAGOS.,
Lagos, Nigeria.

ATTN: MD/CEO

I am David Paul, Branch Manager with UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC, BRANCH
OFFICE LAGOS Nigeria.I have an urgent and very profitable business
proposition for you that should be handled with extreme confidentiality.

On January 6,2000 a Foreign Oil Consultant and contractor in Nigeria LATE
ENG STEVE MOORE'S by name made a numbered time Fixed Deposit for twelve
calendar months valued at US$30.5M(THIRTY MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND
UNITED STATE DOLLARS ONLY) in my branch.

Upon maturity I sent a routine notification in accordance with the Bank
policy to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month we sent a
reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers in Nigeria
that LATE ENG STEVE MOORE’S died from an automobile accident.On further
investigation, we found out that he died without making a Will and all
attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless. I therefore made further
investigations and discovered that LATE ENG STEVE MOORE’S did not declare
any next of kin or relations in all his official documents including his
Bank Deposit
paper work in my Bank.

This sum of US$30.5M has been carefully moved out of my bank to a Security
Company in Europe for safekeeping. No one will ever come forward to claim it
and according to Nigerian Law, at the expiration of 8 years the money will
revert to the ownership of the Nigerian Government if nobody applies to
claim the fund. This prompted us to contact you.We will like to front you as
the next of kin of our late client thereby making you the legal beneficiary
of the sum of $30.5 million U.S Dollars that is presently in a Security
Company in Europe. I contacted you because it is against our code of ethics
to own and operate foreign accounts and your assistance would be needed to
claim the money in the Security Company in Europe.

We have unanimously agreed that 40% of the entire sum would be for you if
you agree to take part in this profitable transaction,50% for me and 2 of my
colleagues while the remaining 10% would be used to pay back the expenses
that may be incurred during the course of the transaction by both parties
after the fund has been claimed and lodged in your account. In the event
that you are genuinely interested in the transaction,the following
information would be needed from you to expedite action.

1) Your Full Name and Address that would be used to establish you as the
next of kin of our late client thereby making you the legal beneficiary of
the fund. This would ensure that the Security Company in Europe releases the
Consignment/Fund to you.
2) Your Private Mobile,Telphone and Fax numbers where you can be reached at
all time because this transaction entails constant communication.
3) Your Banking information

The transaction is 100% risk free as all modalities has been perfected to
ensure the hitch free success of the transaction. If you are interested,
send the requested information via email.

I await your response urgently.

Regards,

David Paul


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