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: Mrs Josephine Depardieu <josephinedepardieu@hotmail.fr>
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2015 15:51:16 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: FROM MRS. JOSEPHINE DEPARDIEU.


 FROM MRS. JOSEPHINE DEPARDIEU.

Good day
 
You shouldn't be surprise to receive my mail; I am Mrs. Josephine Depardieu Auditor General in African Development Bank (ADB) situated here in Ouagadougou the capital city of Burkina Faso in West Africa.
 
I need your assistance to validate your name in our Bank System to enable the Bank transfer the sum of $12.5 Million unclaimed fund into your nominated bank account for onward investment ( Hotel industries and Estate building management) or any profitable business in your country and I will give you 45% for your assistance.
 
In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$ 12.5m Dollars (Twelve Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer a German citizen who among others on board that died along with his entire family and his suppose next of kin on Tuesday, 25th of July year 2000 in a plane crashed near Paris in France.
 
Please visit this site below and see the details of the crashed,
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
 
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 of Burkina Faso, but unfortunately we learnt that his supposed next of kin died along side with him at the plane crashed leaving nobody behind for the claim.
 
It is therefore upon this discovery that i decided to make this business proposal to you and to release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.
 
The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and an indigene of my country Burkinabe (an indigene of this country) cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.
 
I agree that 45% of this money will be for you as a respect to the provision of a foreign account, 5% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% would be for me thereafter, I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated above.
 
To enable the immediate transfer of this fund to your designated bank account, you must apply first to the bank as a relation or next of kin of the deceased with a text of application, so I will like you to send to me your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where the money will be remitted.
 
Although you don't know me and neither I know you too, I got your contact during the time when I am doing research through network program in looking for someone who is going to agree to assist me in this transaction but I want you to know that opportunity comes a times in life time and I promised you that you will never regret of knowing me.
 
My questions are?
 
1. Can you handle this project?
2. Can I give you this trust?
 
If yes, to commence this transaction, I require you to immediately indicate your interest by a return mail for more details.
 
Yours faithfully,
 
MRS.JOSEPHINE DEPARDIEU.
ADB BANK AUDITOR GENERAL.

Anti-fraud resources: