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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: Dr.Tobias Keo <tobiaskeo@centrum.sk>
Reply-To: drtobiaskeo@ovi.com
Date: Wed, 04 May 2011 21:43:32 +0200
Subject: Message from Dr.Keo.

Dear Sir,

I am Dr.Tobias Keo, the managing Director foreign operations department of the FOREIGN TRADE BANK OF CAMBODIA (FTB). I saw your contacts on internet search, after much consideration I decided to write you since I cannot be able to see you face to face at first. I will like you to take your time to read this mail carefully.
I did not mean to embarrass you with my business proposal but i seriously need your assistance and Please this is a confidential matter and it requires urgency.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$25,000,000.00 (Twenty five Million United state Dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family in tsunami which happened in Indonesia, since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws.

I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder but unfortunately we learnt that his supposed next of kin died along side with him at tsunami disaster leaving nobody behind to claim the fund. I therefore made further investigation and discovered that he did not declare any next of kin or relations in all her official documents, including her Bank Deposit paper copy in my Bank. This sum of US$25,000,000.00 is still sitting in my Bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year.
>From my findings, No one will ever come forward to claim this fund and according to Cambodian Law, at the expiration of ( 7 )Seven years, the money will Revert to the ownership of the Cambodian Government if nobody applies to claim it.

It is therefore upon this discovery; i now decided to make this business proposal to release the money to you as his next of kin for us to share in the ratio of 45% for
Me and 35% for you and 20% to help Japanese tsunami victims.

We shall employ the services of two Attorneys for drafting and notarization of the WILL and to obtain the necessary documents and letter of probate/administration in your favor for the
Transfer.

We would need you as a Foreigner to stand as the next of kin and sole Benefactor to the inheritance to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relation or next of kin to the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private telephone number for easy and effective communication and location where the money will be remitted. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.

Kindly observe utmost confidentiality, and be rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us and with my current position as the Manager guarantee the success of this transfer.

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter for further details on how to proceed.

Yours faithfully,
Dr. Tobias Keo


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