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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.Abubakar Essuman" <isahbalewa001@gmail.com>
Reply-To: rtm.dms9@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2015 22:14:31 +0100
Subject: Please Read Carefully & Understand.


Hello ,

I am Mr.Abubakar Essuman, Head,Human Resources with the Bank of
Africa,Ghana.The issue I am presenting to you is a case of one of our late
customer, who died in a plane crash leaving an unclaimed amount of money
with my bank.

In the year 2003,the late customer deposited in a fixed deposit account
here in our Bank totaling USD$5.8 million Dollars ($5,800,000.00) which was
due to be collected in 2008 with accrued dividends. On our yearly appraisal
of our customers at the turn of every year, we discovered that this fixed
deposit remained overdue for retrieval. I had put up series of mails and
bank notifications to him which were sent back uncollected. I later
discovered that he passed on along with his wife and all of his family in a
tragic air crash on the 3 of January 2004.

Since his death in the year 2004, I have monitored his account expecting
any of his extended relatives to come forward to claim his money but all
attempts to trace his relatives over the years has been fruitless since he
did not declare any of his relative's information in his banking records
with us. Added to this, professional ethics obligates us to act with
extreme confidentiality when dealing with clients accounts of this type.
According to the banking law, the money will be bequeathed to the
government if it remains unclaimed after 10 years.

However, I don't belong to that school of thought who proposes that the
fortunes of unlucky people be given to the government and I am fully
convinced that no one would turn up to execute the letter of Administration
to claim his funds, hence I decided to contact you to come in as the next
of kin to my late customer so that the funds can then be transferred to
your nominated bank account in your country within 7 working days after we
have filed in your claims transfer application to the bank.

Considering my lack of success in my bid to locate his relatives for many
years now have contacted you to assist me in securing the money and
property left behind by my client before they are declared as unclaimed and
unserviceable by my bank where they have been lodged for safekeeping. I
solicit your consent to enable me produce you as the Next of Kin to my
deceased client and the funds will then be transferred to you as the
beneficiary and shared between us in equal half’s 50/50.

Again, I feel that you may be apprehensive and consider this amount too big
for you to defend. It does not matter, as there are documents to back it
up. This transaction is risk free and as his former account officer with
the bank, you can be rest assured that all documents to enable you get this
fund as the next of kin will be carefully worked out. Do not be bothered
that you are not directly related to our late customer as I am in position
to affix your name as the next of kin.

I need not emphasize the confidentiality of this issue and I therefore
appeal to you not discuss this request with anybody, even if you decline to
take full advantage of this great and urgent opportunity in my bank.

I look forward to your quick reply

Sincerely,

Mr.Abubakar Essuman

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