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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: Helen Curtis <asia.accountofficer@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:43:40 -0700
Subject: Urgent Proposal

DEAR Friend, I am very sorry to intrude into your personal privacy. Obviously, I know this not the usual consistent manner or medium most especially for the first time. Please accept my apologies. My name is Mrs Helen Curtis, Manager Foreign Remittance Department, CIMB BANK. I got your email while searching for business associates on the Internet based in a foreign country, do not be offended if I have approached you wrongly. Please I will like you to assist me in a business proposal that will be of mutual benefit to us. It is my duty to send a financial report to my head office at the end of each financial year. Following the release of the second quarter financial report, ending June 2011, I discovered an account with the sum of Thirty three million four Hundred thousand Dollars ($33,400,000.00); belonging to our customer who died without any beneficiary to these funds. I have moved the funds into what the Bank call Escrow Call Account with no beneficiary. Meanwhile as you know I can not be directly connected to this money for obvious reasons. Only me is aware of this fund, Please my contacting you is to assist me receive the fund in your Bank account in your country, you will get 45% of the total fund as your benefit. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this business transaction through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a justified arrangement that will protect you from any Breach of the Law. The transfer would be made via swift and it will be a Bank-to-Bank wired transfer. All I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of this fund. I will compute your particulars as the person who made the deposit in my branch, so that my head office will immediately order the transfer to your designated Bank Account. I will like you to understand that this business is risk free and should not be disclosed to anyone. Please do write me for briefing and clarification, because the funds are ready to be transferred to you, please I will like you to be honest with me and help provide an account that will be used to transfer the funds, I hope to hear from you soon so that the transfer process can start immediately. I will send you full details on how the Project will be executed; I want you to furnish me with these details: (1)NAME.............. (2)AGE:................ (3)SEX:.................... (4)PHONE NUMBER:................. (5)OCCUPATION :.................... (6)YOUR COUNTRY:.................... Your Scan copy of international passport or your delivers license Thanks for your understanding and co-operation. Your Faithfully Mrs Helen Curtis

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