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: "buhari kosi" <buhari_74@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 21:13:20 +0000
Subject: URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED

FROM THE DESK OF MR AMIDOU SOKODIA
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A) OUAGADOUGOU,
BURKINA FASO WEST AFRICA.

DEAR FRIEND,

I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise,I got your contact
address from the internet while I was searching for somebody that has
similar name with our deaceased customer.
I am the manager of bill and exchange BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A)at foreign
remittance department . There is a business I would want you to champion for
me.
In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of ($31.500.000 U.S)
thirty one million five hundred thousands US dollars) . In an account that
belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family
in november 1999 in a plane crash.
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless
somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as
indicated in our banking guidelines, but unfortunately we learnt that all
his supposed next of kin's or relation died alongside with him at the plane
crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this
discovery that I and other officials in my department now decided to make
this businness proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of
kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since
nobody is coming for it and we dont want this money to go into the Bank
treasury as unclaimed Bill.
The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained
unclamed after four years, the money will be transfered into the Bank
treasury as unclaimed fund.
The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by
the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as
next of kin to a foreigner.
We agree that 20 % of this money will be for you as foreign partner, in
respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10 % will be set aside for
expenses incured during the business and 70 % would be for ;me and my
colleagues. There after I and my colleagues will visit your country for
disbursement accoding to the percentages indicated.
Therefore to enable the immediate trnansfer of this fund to you as
arranged,you must apply first to the bank as relations or next of kin of the
deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your private
telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location
where in the money will be remitted .
All modalities of this transaction have been carefully worked out and once
started will not take more than fourteen(14) working days, with your full
support. this transaction is 100% risk free.it involve no any inplication
and no any precaution there after.
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of
the application. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this
transaction is hitch free and that you should not entertain any atom of
fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer .
You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter.

For security reason,please reply to this email
address:amidou_sokodia@hotmail.com

Trusting to hear from you immediately.
Yours faithfully,
Amidou Sokodia
Bill and exchange manager,
BANK OF AFRICA

_________________________________________________________________
Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!
http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/


Anti-fraud resources: