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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. GoodLuck Smart" <mrsmart@rediffmail.com>
Reply-To: mrsmartg@rediffmail.com
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 06:37:15 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Attention: Beneficiary...

Attention: Beneficiary

This is to inform you that the Fund Recovery Agency, Ministry of Finance
Benin Republic has recovered your fund 1.5 Million Euro from Banks
during the ongoing last quarter of the year's financial Audits and
Accounts of year 2013 ending. We discovered that your name and information
is among the beneficiaries who could not conclude their transactions and
did not receive their entitled funds from the above mentioned institutions
according to the report on your payment file recovered during the recovery
operations.

The Government of Benin Republic has mandated that this fund should be
paid to you through International Certified Visa ATM Card so that You will
withdraw your Fund from in any ATM MACHINE in any part of your Country
without further procedures because of all the delays which you have
encountered in the past. You are hereby informed that all the necessary
official charges regarding your fund release has been paid by the Benin
Republic Government on the condition that when you receive this ATM CARD
and start withdrawing funds from it, you will refund the Government the
fees which they paid on your behalf which is 18,000.00 Euro.

Please if you agree on the condition of refunding the Government the
mentioned amount 18,000.00 Euro which they spent on your behalf in order
to finalize your fund release through ATM Card, Reply to this e-mail
mrsmartg2@rediffmail.com

As soon as you we hear from you, your ATM Card will be delivered to you
within 4 days through DHL Courier Company and you will start to withdraw
fund there and then without any hitch.

Mr. GoodLuck Smart,

Fund Recovery Agency, Government Of The Benin Republic.
Telephone: +22968456078

Anti-fraud resources: