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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Madoff investmentsecurities LLC" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <bernardmadoff47@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2016 19:04:22 -0800
Subject: Attn. Urgent reply needed

Dear Friend,

I am Bernard Madoff, the founder of Wall Street Firm, Bernard L. Madoff
investment securities LLC in 1960 and was the former chairman of NASDAQ. I
was accuses of fraud worth over $170 Billion Dollars and was arrested on Dec
11, 2008 and on March 12, 2009, I was convicted of 11 federal crimes and
admitted to operating the largest ponzi Scheme in
history.(http://money.howstuffworks.com/ponzi-scheme5.htm) Let me not go
into much details.

I have in my possession the sum of Seventy Million United States of American
Dollars (70,000,000.00Euro) in a Bank, which nobody else knows about this
except my account officers because the money was deposited under serial
codes. I need your help, to get this money out from the bank where its
deposited and keep safely for me as I am sure of coming out from jail soon
from my appeal. I have lost everything in life and I can't get close to this
fund on my own due to my situation, because the government have confiscated
everything that I have. And are still eager to confiscate more if they find
out any money or asset linking to me which I do not want it to happen That
is why i contacted you to partner with me to get the fund to a safer bank
where you can have control over it.

This is the sharing modalities, 50% goes to charity and 20% will be mapped
out for the promotion of gospel, building of churches and mosques all over
the world and 25% for you while 4% goes to the bank officials who will help
you facilitate the transaction and 1% for my up keeping in the prison. I
know that i will die very soon because of my heart attack and kidney cancer,
and when I die, my 1% up keep will be added to the charity making it 51%.
You need to assure me that I can trust you and you will not capitalize on my
problem to divert this fund once it gets to you. I would have prefer if you
can visit me in the prison to see me and discuss detail with me but if you
cannot, I will do it basically on trust since I have no choice.
I will be waiting for your reply any moment from now.

With Kind regards
Bernard Madoff

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