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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: "Zagre YAKO" <zyako@walla.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: zagreyako@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 23:35:10 +0200
Subject: URGENT RESPONSE REQUIRED.

Mr Zagre Yako,
(Credit And Finance Manager)
Bank Of Africa (B O A)
Dakar Senegal.
With due respect I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be beneficial to both of us. At the bank's last accounts/auditing evaluations, I came across an old account, which was being maintained by a foreign client who was among the passengers of an airline crash in 1999. (MR Andreas Schranner) a German nationality who died alongside his supposed next of kin in an air crash on the 25th of July, 2000. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/859479.stm>
So, since the deceased was unable to run this account as a result of his death, the account has remained dormant without the knowledge of his family since the client put it in a safe deposit account in the bank for future investment. Since his demise, nobody, not even the members of his family have applied for the claim of this fund, and it has been in the safe deposit account until I discovered that it cannot be claimed since our client is a foreign national and we are sure that he has no
next of kin here to file claims over the money. As the managing director of the dept, I humbly solicit your immediate assistance to transfer this money out of the bank. The total amount in the account is (Twenty Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars only) USD$20,500.000.
With my position as the manager bill and exchange dept of the bank, I am handicapped because the present code of conduct act of the bank makes it an offence for me to operate foreign account and cannot lay bonafide claim over this and out of the country. Once you indicate your good intention to have this fund in your account, I bring the deceased file before the desk of all the Executive Directors of the Bank, so as to identify you as the through Next Of Kin to the deceased.
The client is a foreign national and I am only asking you to act as his next of kin to facilitate the transfer to your account and i will supply you with all the necessary information's and bank data's to assist you withstand the eligibility in transferring this money to your bank account or any safe place of your choice where this money can be successfully transferred to.
For your assistance, 20% of the total amount will be for your effort. Lastly, I urge you to keep this transaction strictly confidential for our security reasons while I hope to retire with my own share of this money at the end of the successful transfer of this fund to your designated bank account in your country. I assure you that this transaction is absolutely risk free since I work in this bank, that is why you should be confident in the success of this transaction because you will be updated with information as at when desired.
Feel free to contact me through my e-mail address.
Thanks and remain blessed.
Mr Zagre YAKO.


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