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.

 

 

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

Fraud email example:

From: "from...Rev. Father Peter" <h22444s@myway.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: h22244s@myway.com
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2005 17:47:40 +0400
Subject: Rev. Father Peter Richard

Dear Friend,
It took me time and divine intervention to write you
this mail, as we have never had any
correspondence before. My name is Rev. Father Peter
Richard. I'm a catholic priest and I'm very much
interested in a relationship with you for mutual
benefits as I have access to what is needed, but
lack the experience and I'm not in a position to
perfect its use. There is an urgent need for my
contacting you as I recently have been granted
an opportunity to have access to US$8,500,000.00
(Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars Only). Access to this fund is made available
by a woman, who happens to be a serious member
of my parish.

She is well known in this community
and aside being a major real estate agent she is a
magnet in environmental management and was a
liencened oil merchant before now. Unfortunately
she has been living and struggling with breast
cancer for close to 14 months now. Though she
is unmarried, she has a 12 years old daughter and
I have been responsible for her care seen the break
of her horrible dilemma. She has been through a first
operation, and though she is to undergo a final
operation within the next few days, the doctors
have not given her much of a chance to live.
She is not aware of this fact and she stills
remains hopefully that something positive can be
done in her case. Based on my last discussion
with her yesterday afternoon on the future of her
daughter, should she not be so lucky. She insisted
that the fund should be invested.

Unfortunately I'm definitely not in a position to run things,which is why
I seek your assistance in taking control of managing
the fund.I have resolved with her on an agreement
that will be drawn up by you on a yearly charge that
will be paid to you for taking control and managing the
fund while half of the proceed will be given for the
development of treatment of cancer patients. The rest
will remain with you for the up keep of her daughter.
I wish you could be of assistance to this course and
I'd like to add that sometimes I receive unsolicited
mails, so I hope my mail doesn't come as an
embarrassment to you, but if it does please kindly
accept my apologies. Awaiting your response,



Anti-fraud resources: