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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: "EDWARD GRANT & ASSOCIATES" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <credit.deposit.transaction.bank@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:40:31 +0200
Subject: Business Opportunity / Be a Beneficiary.

EDWARD GRANT & ASSOCIATES,
SPAIN.

Greetings,

I am Edward Grant; An Attorney at law based in Spain Western Europe, and My late client was a private oil consultant/ contractor with the Shell
Petroleum Development Company in Spain before his death. My client, his wife and his three children lost their life in the 2004 tsunamis natural disaster while on their holiday in Phuket Thailand. It may interest you to know that my client died "in testate".
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/asia.quake/

PROPOSITION:

I decided to contact you purely on the personal conviction of trust and
Confidence to assist me in distributing the money left behind by my client. The Deceased had a deposit valued presently at 15,000,000 Euros (Fifteen Million Euros) and the security company has issued me a notice to provide his next of kin or beneficiary by will, otherwise the account would be confiscated. My proposition to you is to seek your consent to present you as a Relative/next-of-kin and beneficiary of my client, so that the proceeds of this account could be paid to you. Then we can share the amount on a mutually agreed-upon percentage. All legal documents to back up your claim as my client's next-of-kin will be provided. All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this transaction through.

This will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. If this business proposition offends your moral values, do accept my apology. I must use this opportunity to implore you to exercise the utmost indulgence to keep this matter extraordinary confidential, whatever your decision, while I await your prompt response.

Please contact me at once to indicate your interest.

Best regards,
Edward Grant.
Principal Partner
Email: infoedwardg@yahoo.es

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