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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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Fraud email example:

From: "MR COLINS BROWN" <colins.brown@handbag.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: colins_100brown@yahoo.co.in
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 15:06:00 -0700
Subject: URGENT BUSINESS PLAN

from
Auditing and Accounting Unit.
Foreign Remittance Dept.
United Bank for Africa Plc.
Abuja-Nigeria.

Attention:

{Very Urgent Business Transaction}


Greetings and complement of the season.
My name is Mr. Colins Brown. I am the eastern manager of
united bank of africa Plc (UBA),Abuja branch Nigeria.This
letter might surprise you because we have not met neither
in person nor by correspondence,but please you should
exercise some patience and read through my message. I have
a very urgent and confidential business proposal for you.

I want to transfer out $USD 26 million ( TWENTY SIX MILLION
U.S DOLLARS) from our bank. I have the courage to look for
a reliable and honest person who will be capable for this
important Business,believing that you will never let me
down either now or in future.

HOW THE MONEY CAME ABOUT:
There is an account opened in this bank in 1980 and since
1990 nobody has operated on this account again,after going
through some old files in the records I discovered that if
I do not remitte this money out urgently it will be
forfeited for nothing.The owner of this account is Mr. Jack
Hamilton, he is a foreigner and the manager of of petrol
chemical service,a chemical Engineer by proffession and he
died since 1990, and since then no other person knows
about this account or anything concerning it.secondly he
did not clearify his next of kin in his deposition form
when he deposited this fund in our bank.The account has no
other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well
that his company does not know anything about this account
and the amount involved is (U.S.$ 26,000,000.00).

I want to tranfer this money into a safe foreign account
abroad but i don't know any foreigner,I am contacting you
as a foreigner because this money can not be approved to
any local bank here but can only be approved to a foreign
account because the money is in u.s dollars and the former
owner of the account (MR.JACK HAMILTON) is a foreigner too.
I know that this message will come to you as a surprise as
we don't know ourself before,but be sure that it is real
and a genuine business.I believe in god that you will never
let me down in this business,you are the only person that i
have contacted
for this business for now,so please reply urgently so that
we can receive this money into a foreign account or any
account of your choice
where the fund will be remmited.

I am contacting you because of the need to involve a
foreigner with a
foreign account as the real beneficiary,I need your
co-operation to makethis work fine,because the management
of our bank is ready to approve this payment to any
foreigner who has the correct information to this account
which i will give to you when sure of your capability to
handle such amount with instrict confidence and trust,and
according to my instructions and my advice for our mutual
benefit because I don't want to make any mistake. I need
your strong assurance and trust, I shall also destroy all
documents concerning this transactions immidiately we
received this money leaving no trace to any place. I will
use my position and influence on other staffs to effect
legal approvals and onward transfer of this money to your
account
with appropriate clearance from foreign payment
department,with assurance that this money will be intact
pending my physical arrival in your country for the sharing
and other investment.

Finally,at the conclusion of this business,you will be
given 25% of the
total ammount,70% will be for me ,while 5% will be for
expenses both
parties might have incured during the process of this
transaction. I look forward to your earliest reply through
my e-mail address:
colins_brown100@post.cz}.

Thanks and God bless you.


Yours truly,
Mr. Colins Brown





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