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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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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: Kofie Iredia <kofieiredia0@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2005 19:50:23 +0100
Subject: EMPTY A/C CAN DO


>From Mr, Iredia kofie.
Box 1287 Port Shepstone
Chaka -South Africa.
kofieiredia@yahoo.com
Dear Sir,
We want to transfer to overseas ($16,000.000.00 USD Sixteen million United
States Dollars) from a Bank in Africa. I want to ask you to quietly look for
a reliable and honest person who will be capable and fit to provide either
an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank account immediately to
receive this money, even an empty account can serve.
I am Mr, Iredia kofi.the Auditor General of a bank in Africa. During the
course of our auditing I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in
the bank in 1995 and since 1998 nobody has operated on this account again.
I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money can not be
approved to a local person here, without valid international passport, but
can only be approved to any foreigner with valid international passport or
drivers license and foreign account because the money is in US dollars and
the former owner of the account is a foreigner too, and the money can only
be approved into a foreign account.
I am revealing this to you with belief that you will never let me down in
this business, you are the first and might be the only the only person that
I am contacting for this business, so please reply urgently so that I will
inform you the next step to take.I want us to meet face to face to build
confidence and to sign a binding agreement before transferring the money to
any account of your choice where the fund will be safe. Before we fly to
your country for withdrawal, sharing and investments.I need your full
co-operation to make this work, because the management is ready to approve
this payment to any foreigner who has correct information of this account,
which I will give to you, upon your positive response and once I am
convinced that you are capable and will meet up with instruction of a key
bank official who is deeply involved with me in this business.I need your
strong assurance. With my influence and the position of the bank official we
can transfer this money to any foreigner's reliable account which you can
provide with assurance that this money will be intact pending our physical
arrival in your country for sharing.
I will use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for
onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance
from the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments.
At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 20% of the total
amount, 70% will be for me, while 10% will be for expenses both parties
might have incurred during the process of transferring.
Hope to hear from you soonest.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr Iredia.
NB:I need your phone number for easier communication.

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