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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: "james dike" <j_dike11@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2005 23:54:45 -0500
Subject: Greetings:

PLEASE REPLY THROUGH THIS EMAIL j_dike4@o2.pl

Greetings:

You may be surprised to receive my letter, however, I got your contact
from the Chamber of Commerce and Trade. I have decided to contact you
for confidential, urgent and rewarding joint business.

My name is JAMES DIKE, I was a Personal Assistant to the
Late Congo President, LAURENT KABILA, who was assasinated in February
and my aim of writing to you is because of the need for a trusted and
honest person, who I can entrust the sum of US$12,800,000 (Twelve million,
eight hundred thousand USDollars). Source of the money: I and the late
president secured this money in a security firm in Accra Ghana, in my name
before his death.

Now that he is late, I want to transfer the money out of Africa, for
investment in your country, I can not travel out of where I am on
asylum, hence I am asking for your assistance to have this money in your
care pending when I will secure travel documents to come over to your
country.If you accept this offer we shall share the money as follows: for
you, 25%, 75% for me. I have all the title documents to the fund which I can
transfer to you to enable you have assess to it. Be assured that is
risk-free and legitimate.

Please advise me on your position by this e-mail j_dike4@o2.pl
immedaitely, Please I await your
prompt reply.

MR JAMES DIKE.


Anti-fraud resources: