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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: "Mr.John Kone" <cpnetmondai@cpnet.com.br>
Reply-To: johnkone1@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 18:00:04 +0000
Subject: Hello,



--
Hello,

Before I introduce myself, I wish to inform you that this letter is not
a hoax mail and I urge you to treat it serious. We want to transfer to
overseas account ($16,000.000.00 ) sixteen million US DOLLARS from a
prime Bank here in Abidjan. I want to ask you, If you are not capable to
quietly look for a reliable and honest person who will be capable and
fit to provide either an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank
a/c immediately to receive this money, even an empty a/c can serve to
receive this money, as long as you will remain honest to me till the end
for this important business trusting in you and believing in God that
you will never let me down either now or in future

I am Mr.John Kone, presently promoted to Auditor General in one of the
banks here in Abidjan cote d'ivoire. During the course of our auditing
last week, I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the bank
in 2008 and since 2014 nobody has operated on this account again, after
going through some old files in the records I discovered that the owner
of the account died without a [Heir/WILL] hence the money is floating
and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be forfeited for
nothing. The owner of this account is Mr. Keith Lathan an American and a
great industrialist and a resident of Alaska State, who unfortunately
lost his life in the Auto crash in Alaska , which crashed on January 31
2010, including his wife and only daughter leaving nobody to claim the
money. No other person knows about this account or any thing concerning
it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to
me as well that the account is a secret account.

The total amount involved is sixteen million US DOLLARS only
[16,000.000.00 DOLLARS ] and we wish to transfer this money into a safe
foreigners account abroad. But I don't know any foreigner; I am only
contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a
local person here, but to a foreigner who has information about the
account, which I shall give to you upon your positive response. I am
revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let me
down in this business, you are the first and the only person that I am
contacting for this business, so please reply urgently so that I will
inform you the next step to take urgently. I need your strong assurance
that you will never let us down, me and a key bank official who is
deeply involved with me in this business.

I guarantee you that this transaction will be executed under a
legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.
The bank official will destroy all documents of the transaction
immediately you receive this money leaving no trace to any place. I will
use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for onward
transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance from
the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments At the
conclusion of this business, you will be given 30% of the total amount,
70% will be for us.

PLEASE, TREAT THIS PROPOSAL AS TOP SECRET.

Best Regards

Mr.John Kone.

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