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.

 

 

Fraud email example:

From: raymondmobutu5@terra.com.mx
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 20:37:59 -0700
Subject: RESPOND ASAP


My dear Friend,

I am the first son of the late Mobutu Sese-Seko , the
former President of the Zaire now, Congo Democratic
Republic. Presently, I am
under protective custody in
Nigeria as a political refugee.

I got your
contact during my search for a foreigner
that can cooperate with me in this
mutual transaction.
I want you to note that this business will benefit
both
of us. However, you must confirm your ability to
handle the transaction for
me because it involves
large amount of money. The money US$27M (Twenty-Seven
Million United States Dollars)only, is my share of my
father's
estate.
I boxed and shipped the money to a security company
abroad at the peak of the
war/political crisis that
rocked my country few years ago. Now the crisis has
ended and I need a trust worthy person like you to
proceed to the security
company in order to clear the
fund and invest on my behalf as I don't want my
name
to be used for it now for security reasons.

Note that I will send to
you the relevant documents
that will enable you take possesion of the fund
for onward investment for our mutual benefit. All I
need from you is as
follows:

1. A letter of committment (duely signed) that you
will keep
the transaction strictly confidential.
2. Confirmation of your ability to
handle the
transaction.

3. A scanned copy of your national ID or
drivers
licence for identification to the security company.


4. Your
telephone and fax numbers for communication
and

5. Your full permanent
address.

As soon as I receive the above information from you, I
will
disclose to you the name and the country of the
security company. I will
forward your name and
particulars to the Security company to enable them
contact you accordingly.

Most importantly, I will also send to you a LETTER
OF
AUTHORITY to enable you clear the fund on my behalf.
Note that this is
a very safe transaction as this
money is my share of my father's estate.
I am waiting for your response to enable us proceed.

Kindest Personal
Regards,
R. Mobutu Sese-Seko



___________________________________________________________________________
Con Terra MAIL obtienes 6MB de espacio además de bloqueo ANTISPAM
http://terramail.terra.com.mx/TerraMail/
Acceso a Internet 3 x 1, desde ¡$179 pesos al mes!
http://www.terra.com.mx/acceso/suscribete/
Encuentra los mejores productos y precios increibles!!
Aprovecha nuestra promoción a 12 pagos sin intereses con Banamex y Bancomer
http://www.decompras.com/



Anti-fraud resources: