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: "DR SANI MOHAMMED IBRAHIM" <mashreq_bank@operamail.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: sanimohammed@operamail.com
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 16:02:27 +0400
Subject: RE: CONFIDENTIAL

STRATEGY DEPARTMENT
MASHREQ BANK LIMITED
DUBAI
UNITED ARAB EMIRATE.


ATTN: CONFIDENTIAL


Before I introduce myself,I wish to inform
you that this letter is not a hoax mail and
I urge you to treat it serious.I am Dr.Sani Mohammed
Khalil,a banker with the Mashreq Bank Plc Dubai,UAE.
I am the Accounts officer of late Mr.Michael j.Brown
the African Area Director of SIL International,
who unfortunately died in the crash of Kenya Airways
Flight 431 in Abidjan,IvoryCoast,January 30 2000.
You will read more stories about the crash on visiting
this website,news.airwise.com
/airlines/archive/2000/kenya2000.htm,
l and also in this website,where Michael's company
talked about his death in the Kenya crash.
Mr.Michael Brown was from Hamilton,Ontario Canada.

Since the death of Michael,I as his accounts officer
in the bank, have made several enquiries to locate his
only surviving relation,without
any success.I came across your name and contact,
On the course of my personal searching for reliable
and honest person whom will transact this business
with me so i decided to contact you for this project.
I am contacting you to assist in repatriating and
securing the wealth left behind in a fixed deposit
account by Michael,before they get confiscated or
declared unserviceable by my bank.The board of my bank
has issued a notice that after 2 months from now and
no next of kin shown up for the claim,the funds will
be confiscated and declared unserviceable.
Since I and my team have been unsuccessful in
locating Michael's relatives for sometime now,
I seek your consent to present you as the Next
of Kin of the deceased since you are a foreigner,
so that the proceed of this deposit valued at
$USD24.6 Million Dollars can be released to you.

The bank will release the funds to any foreigner
who has all related information/documents to the bank
account.I am in charge of this matter in my bank,
Because i am his accounts officer.Your application
will be directed to my department for verification
and approval.
Everything is under my control,I shall also involve
a good attorney who shall represent you in all the
appropriate offices for the claim.
I also have all necessary information we need for
the claim and once the money is transferred to you,
I shall destroy all the documents used for the claim
and leave no traces.After everything,you shall have
20% of the total sum,while 80% for me and my team.

All requires is your honest cooperation to enable
us see this business successful.I guarantee that this
will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach
of the law. Michael was a very good man and it is not
wise to allow his hard earned wealth to be stolen by
the greedy directors of my bank. Further details
awaits your response by my private email:
(dr_sanimohammed@operamail.com).
PLEASE, TREAT THIS PROPOSAL AS TOP SECRET.


Best Regards,
Dr.Sani Mohammed Khalil.
Banker


Anti-fraud resources: