joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Usman Foowa" <foowa.usman@outlook.com>
Reply-To: usman.foowa@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 18:15:15 +0400
Subject: Can you achieve this?


=

Dear friend,

My name is Mrs. Foowa Usman widow to late Alhaji Cudjoe Akwasi Usman a gold=
and diamond merchant from Ghana. On 26 February last year, my husband and =
I traveled to Benin Republic on a business meeting, on 27th a day after we =
arrived to Benin we had a fatal accident on our way back to the hotel we lo=
dged. My husband's business partner who was driving died at the spot of the=
accident while my husband who was on the front passengers seat died the fo=
llowing day at the hospital. I was unconscious in the hospital for 3 weeks =
with a spinal injury which affect my spinal cord till now.

Before that ugly event, my husband deposited the sum of 12,700,000 USD and =
1,000 Kg of gold with a Safe Deposit Company in Benin. This money was meant=
for the purchase of gold for his partner overseas.

Since after the death of my husband, his two brothers and their sister has =
been fighting me over my late husband's properties. In my condition, I cann=
ot fight back as I am already paralyzed because of my spinal cord damage. T=
hey have visually taken over all my late husband's properties, all I have r=
ight now is this money and gold with the Deposit company and I want to keep=
all information regarding to it as top confidential. If they get to know a=
bout it, my little son and I will not have nothing left to live on. All the=
documents relating to the deposit are safe somewhere they cannot reach. I =
cannot do anything on my own due to my health condition, I need someone wit=
h the fear of God to help me stand as my husband's business partner to clai=
m the fund and the gold from the Deposit company, so that the fund and mone=
y realized from the gold can be used for an investment that will sustain me=
and my only son.

All I need you to do is to stand as my Husband=2019s business partner to cl=
aim the fund and the gold. You must assured me that you will invest
this fund for me without sitting on it by taking advantage of my health and=
husband's family situation. If this will works with you and help me secure=
these assets, my son and I will relocate from Ghana to a safer place we ca=
n have peace, where my son will grow in a better environment.

If you can help me on this, I offer you 20% of the total fund including the=
one that will be realized from sales of the gold. I will always put you an=
d your family into prayer so that almighty God will assist you and protect =
you all from any untimely death like my husband.

Please, these two things are all that I have. So if you are to assist me I =
will beg you in God=2019s Name to keep top secret concerning this transacti=
on. I will send you the necessary documents upon your indication to assist =
me. Meanwhile, I want to thank you in advance should you do this great kind=
ness to a widow like me, I will ever be indebted to you all my life.

May god bless you

Yours,
Mrs. Foowa Usman.

Anti-fraud resources: