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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: "Mrs. GRACE WOOD" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <grcwd23@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:08:36 -0400
Subject: Dear Friend

Dear Friend

Greetings in the name of God,Pls let this not sound strange to you for
my only surviving lawyer who would have done this died early this
year.i prayed and got you email id from your countrys christian
guestbook which i have been with my late husband and liked to visit
once more if God will in his infinite mercies.

I am Mrs. GRACE WOOD from London I am 58 years old,i am suffering
from a long time cancer of the lungs which also affected my brain,from
all indication my conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite
obvious that, according to my doctors they have advised me that i may
not live for the next two months,this is because the cancer stage has
gotten to a very bad stage. I was brought up from a motherless babies
home was married to my late husband for twenty years without a child
,my husband died in a fatal motor accident Before his death we were
true Christians.Since his death I decided not to re-marry,I sold all
my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum of 10million dollars
with a First Inland Bank.

Presently, this money is still with them and the management just wrote
me as the true owner to come forward to receive the money for keeping
it so long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to
receive it on my behalf since I can not come over because of my
illness or they get it confisticated.

Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital in switzerland where I
have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. my doctors
have told me that I have only a few months to live.It is my last wish
to see that this money is invested to any organisation of your choice
and distributed each year among the charity organization,the poor and
the motherless babies home.

I want you as God fearing person, to also use this money to fund
churches, orphanages and widows,I took this decision, before i rest in
peace because my time will so on be up.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the
First Inland Bank.I will also issue you a letter of authority that
will prove you as the new beneficiary of my fund. Please assure me
that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.

You are requested to send to me the following information to enable me
use it to write a Letter of Authorization on your behalf to the bank
so that they will release the money to you as my new next of kin.

NAME: __________SURNAME:__________________SEX: _____ AGE:
______MARITAL: _______________COUNTRY: CONTACT ADDRESS:
________________________PHONE NO#___________OCCUPATION:_____________


Please reply me through this my private

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Waiting for your reply
Yours in Christ,
Mrs. GRACE WOOD

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