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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

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

Fraud email example:

From: "******FBI USA******" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <atmunitghana@emailclick.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:42:31 -0800
Subject: ****FBI USA ADVICE**********

From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Dept: Anti-Terrorist & Monetary Crimes Division
Office: Washington, D.C. Headquarters
Address: J. Edgar Hoover Building
93 Pennsylvania Avenue, Nw Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
 
Attention Funds Beneficiary,
This is to officially inform you that your fund which is in Africa has been approved for release by the joint FBI/UN Payment Reconciliation Board. Due to Scam act by African officials we reached to an agreement with them to have the funds released to you via ATM Card. The total sum of $5.7 Million US Dollars which is approved will be loaded in an internationally accepted ATM Card and then sent to your address via courier service, so that you can be picking your funds from any ATM Machine around you in bits at your will.
This measure is to help prevent scam on your bank account and all African bureaucratic bootleggers . Be advised not to expose your banking details to any person in the name of trying to get your funds. We the American FBI is bent on making sure that scam is totally wiped out and with this measure we are taking nobody scam you over this payment.
From our joint decision we choose ATM UNIT GHANA to be the office to release the funds to you since the country has been tested politically and otherwise, the we approved them for this payment reconciliation of every funds owned to foreigners by African governments.
You are advised to contact the ATM UNIT GHANA via their contact information as noted below:
NAME: DR. PETER AMAH (ATM UNIT DIRECTOR)
EMAIL ADDRESS:     atmunitghana@emailclick.com
TELEPHONE: +233- 2- 47189890
Contact them immediately and let them know that the FBI directed you to them for your funds release via ATM Card. Do provide them with the following reconfirmed information as stated below to avoid any mistake:
1. Your Full Name________________________________________________
2. Your Full Address______________________________________________
3. Your Telephone Number________________________________________
4. Your Occupation_______________________________________________
5. Your Age___________________
Do not send your banking details to them for security reasons. We guarantee this payment and always feel free to ask us any question if the need be until you have received your ATM Card.
Thanks,
 
Robert S. Mueller, III
(FBI Director)

Anti-fraud resources: