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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: "Major Pavel Karpov" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <PavelPMaj@aol.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:16:03 -0600
Subject: Private message

Private message

Please kindly accept my apology for sending unsolicited mail to you I believe
you are a highly respected personality considering the fact that I sourced your
profile from a human resource profile database on your country. Though, I do not
know to what extent you are familiar with events.

Well, I am Major Pavel Karpov, a Russian citizen. My friend and I was accused
of stealing $230million from Mr. Bill Browder who was Blacklisted and expelled
from Russia in 2005. Mr. Browder liquidated his Russian investments, paying off
a $230million tax bill, and relocated his entire staff and their dependents to
London, leaving a solitary secretary to manage the office of various shell
companies here in Moscow. But in 2007 his Russian office was raided by the
police, who seized seals and certificates, and few months later a court judgment
was entered against Browder’s companies for an unpaid debt which he claimed he
knew nothing about. That was when Browder called in Russia’s smartest tax
lawyer, the late Sergei Magnitsky, who was jailed and unfortunately died after
brief illness.

I am extremely in need of your assistance in this matter, since I am not
allowed to travel out of Russia because of the recent happening. And please you
must keep this as top secret if you are willing to help me to receive and
deposit this fund in the bank on my behalf. I am willing to share 60%/40% with
you if you are able to help me. I have the sum of $100million in a PRIVATE SAFE
DEPOSIT overseas, I want you to help me put this money in Number bank in
SWISSBANK and take your part of the money as I said. Upon receipt of the fund, I
will send you a written letter for the disbursement of the fund and then you and
I will share the money in this order: 60% will be for me, 40% will be for you. I
have all the necessary legal documents that can back our claim we will make with
the Private Vault House.

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 And please contact me.

Kindly provide me with the following: Full name, age, occupation, phone
number, address and fax number.
Best regards,
Major P.

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