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: Mike Akaolu <m_akaolu13@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: mikeakaolu@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 06:31:02 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Your co-operation is urgently needed


FROM MR MIKE AKAOLU.
UNION TOGOLAISE DE BANQUE
LOME REPUBLIC OF TOGO
Reply-To: mikeakaolu@hotmail.com


Dear Friend,

I am Mr.Mike Akaolu ,manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remmittance department of the above mentioned bank. I have urgent and very confidential business proposition for you. On June 6, 1999, a contractor with ECOWAS, Mr Fouad Abdel Ghafar Ahmed made a
numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for twelve calendar months. Valued at US$12.5m dollar( Twelve million, five hundred thousand US Dollars)

Since we got information about his death discovered from his contract employers, ECOWAS Lome Togo, that he died in the October,1999 plane crash with Egyptian Air Line. On further investigation, I found out that he died without making his "WILL", and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that he did not declare any next of kin or relations in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank.

This sum US$12.5m dollar(Twelve million,five hundred thousand US Dollars) is still sitting in my Bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. According to Togolaise banking Law, at the expiration of 6(Six)years the bank has powers to recall the funds into the Government treasury and marked as(EXHIBIT A) if nobody applies to claim the fund.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you to act as next of kin to him so that the fruits of this old mans labour will not get into the hands of some corrupt government officials here in Lome-Togo.

The request of a foreigner as next of kin in this business is occassioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a togoliase cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

We agree that 35% of this money will be for you as a foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 5% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 60% will be for me and my collegues. There after I and my collegues will visit your country for disbursment according to the percentages indicated. Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arrange, you must apply first to the bank as relation or next or
kin of the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account, your private telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location where in the money will be remitted.

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 business 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.

I look forward to your earliest reply

Yours Truly,


Mr Mike Akaolu
Union Togolaise de banque.
Lome,Togo.
+228 926-7221.







__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Anti-fraud resources: