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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: "Nnamdi bank-of-the-north" <nnamdi@bank-of-the-north.net>
Reply-To: nnamdi_bankofthenorth@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 14:52:35 +0000
Subject: HELLO

MR NNAMDI KENNY,
Bank Of The North,
Victoria Island Branch,
Lagos, Nigeria.
ATTN,
I am MR NNAMDI KENNY Branch Manager with Bank of the North Victoria Island
Branch Lagos Nigeria,I have an urgent and very profitable business
proposition for you that should be handled with extremeconfidentiality.
On January 6,1999 a Foreign Oil Consultant and contractor with the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mr. James Herbert by name made a
numbered time Fixed Deposit for twelve calendar months valued at US$38.6M
(Thirty Eight Million, Six Hundred United States Dollars Only) in my branch.
Upon maturity I sent a routine notification in accordance with the Bank
policy to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month we sent a
reminder and finally wediscovered from his contract employers the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that Mr. James Herbert died
from an automobile accident.
On further investigation, we found out that he died without making a
Will and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless. I therefore
made further investigations and discovered that Mr. James Herbert did not
declare any next of kin or relations in all his official documents including
his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank.This sum of US$38.6M has been
carefully moved out of my bank to a Security Company in Europe for
safekeeping No one will ever come forward to claim it and according to
Nigerian Law, at the expiration of 5 years the money will
revert to the ownership of the Nigerian Government if nobody applies to
claim the fund.This prompted us to contact you.We will like to front you as
the next
of kin of our late client thereby making you the legal beneficiary of the
sum
of $38.6 million U.S Dollars that is presently in a Security Company in
Europe.
I contacted you because it is against our code of ethics to own and
operate foreign accounts and your assistance would be needed to claim the
money in the Security Company in Europe.,We have unanimously agreed that 25%
of the entire sum would be for you if you agree to take part in this
profitable transaction,70% for me and 2 of my colleagues while the
remaining5% would be used to pay back the expenses that may be
incurred during the course of the transaction by both parties after the
fund has been claimed as the next of kin.In the event that you are genuinely
interested in the transaction,there are some information would be needed
from you to commence transaction FULL
NAME,CONTACT ADDRESS,PHONE AND FAX NUMBER to commence operation.
The transaction is 100% risk free as all modalities has been perfected
to ensure the hitch free success of the transaction.
I await your urgent response
THANKS FOR CO-OPERATION
MR NNAMDI KENNY


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