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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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: <hazurike@voila.fr>
Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2008 10:37:11 +0000
Subject: Attention Please



Hello!
I am Manager Hazu Rike. I am pleased to get across to you for a very urgent and profitable business proposal, this may come to you as a Surprise as we have not met before. But I can trust a Person of your caliber. The intended business is thus, I am the Personal Account Manager to Mr. Joseph Puri a Foreigner resident here in Nigeria, he was an oil consultant/Contractor with the government parastatals. Mr. Joseph Puri died from an automobile accident, my client, his wife and their children were involved in the accident along Lagos/Ibaban Express Road. Unfortunately they all lost their lives in the event of the accident, since then I have made several enquiries to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet, to locate any member of his family but of no avail, hence I contacted you.
I have to be sincere and honest with you, I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my late client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by Spring Bank Plc where these huge deposits were lodged. Particularly, the Spring Bank Plc where the deceased had an (fixed) account valued at about (USD5.5 million dollars). Consequently, The Spring Bank Plc issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated. Since i have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 3 years now, please I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased, so that the proceeds of this account valued at (USD5.5 million dollars) can be paid to you and then you and I can share the money.
(1) 40% for you as the account owner(2) 50% for I (3) 10% will be set aside to defray all incidental expenses both locally and internationally during the cause of this transaction.
I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any claim we may make. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us seeing this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. As soon as you agree to co-operate with me, I will meet with the officials of our Spring Bank Plc and present your information as the next of kin to my late client together with some relevant documents, they will just go ahead and pay the money into your account and I will come over to your country for the sharing of the fund.
Please get in touch with me on my Email: hazurike@voila.fr, to enable us discuss further. please if you are not ready to transact this business with me, tell me so that I will look for other alternative to get this money from the Bank.
Yours faithfully,
Mr. Hazu Rike

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