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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: "JOHNSON HANK" <johnsonhank@go.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: johnsonhnak1@interfree.it
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 16:48:35 +0100
Subject: BUSINESS OFFER

Dear friend,

My writing to you this letter is necessitated by my innermost desire to seek
your assistance in a business that requires high confidentiality and trust.
I am Mr. Johnson Hank, supervisor for customer’s services with Finance Bank
for eight years now.

I have been managing and monitoring a customer's account worth USD15,570M
{Fifteen Million Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand United States Dollars}.
The customer who is an expatriate from Iraq, who ran away from Iraq and settled
down here as a political refugee, but does not have a trace of his family because
the incumbent Sadam Hussein of Iraq eliminated all his family members immediately
he ran away as an opposition to Sadam's government. He is now late and nobody has
come forward for any claim of his money in our custody since three years now after
his death.

I hereby seek your cooperation and to compromise with me, because I am in a position
to make every necessary change to your name as the appropriate beneficiary and a
relation to him and this money will be moved to your custody pending my arrival to
your country to open an account and lodge the money. We could go into investment
negotiation based on your advice.

For your involvement, I suggest we share the money 70% for me, 25% for you and 5% to
offset any expenses in the course of the operation. Nevertheless, I assure you of every
authenticity and risk-free of this business proposal. Contact me urgently for us to
progress as my time for retirement is almost at hand.

Please, treat with absolute maturity, reservation and kindness even if you are not
interested to work with me, waiting to hear from you soonest. Hold my dealings in
strict confidence. You can get back to me through my private Email:johnsonhank1@interfree.it

Sincerely,

Johnson Hank



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