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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

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

Fraud email example:

From: "PRINCE FAYAD H. BOLKIAH" <fayadbolk1001@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: pfayadbolk@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 11:48:37 +0000
Subject: Business/Investment

Dear Sir,
I am contacting you for an Urgent Business Transaction and further explicit
investment assistance in your country. Based on the information and
recommendation satisfactorily gathered concerning your person, I hereby need
you to read this email message carefully
because it is very imperative.

I am PRINCE FAYAD H. BOLKIAH, the eldest son of PRINCE JEFRI BOLKIAH who was
the former Finance Minister of Brunei. Brunei Darussalam is a small country
located in the northwest of the island of Borneo and governed by His Majesty
SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH MU'IZZADDIN WADDAULAH.

I will save your time by not amplifying my extended Royal Family history
which has already been disseminated by the international media during the
controversial dispute that erupted between my father and his stepbrother,
the sultan of Brunei SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH. You can visit the
websites below for a better understanding of the situation:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/670959.stm
http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0310/nat.brunei.jefri.html

As you may know from the international media, the Sultan had accused my
father of financial
mismanagement and impropriety of USD14.8 Billion. This was as a result of
the Asian financial crisis which made my father company Amedeo development
Corporation(ADC) and government owned Brunei Investment Agency(BIA) to be
declared bankrupt during his tenure in office. PRINCE JEFRI BOLKIAH was
relieved of his post as Finance Minister of Brunei and was stripped of his
chairmanship post as head of the nation's international investment arm, the
Brunei Investment Agency in February 1998. The Agency controls 13 companies
& Brunei's overseas assets.

In July 1998, SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH barred trading by Amedeo
Development Corporation when the world's biggest corporate debt of USD14.8
Billion came
to light. In September the 1998, the Sultan ordered an investigation of the
BIA by accountants KPMG after the Brunei government alleged that"large sums
of money" had been misappropriated to companies controlled by PRINCE JEFRI
BOLKIAH. The Sultan then asked the Bank of England to help track down an
alleged 28 Billion British Pounds of state and family funds said to be
"missing".

On the 02/10/1998 PRINCE JEFRI BOLKIAH flew from London in a private jet and
was going to settle matters directly with SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH.
PRINCE JEFRI drove straight to his seaside palace at Jerudong, about 10
miles south of the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan as he was due to meet with
officials of the Amedeo Development Corporation and visit the sultan. After
series of meetings relations between the Royals appeared to deteriorate
quickly. However,my father was arrested, his Bank Accounts and private
properties including a crude oil export refinery & three large oil wells
which were later confiscated by the sultanate. During this unfortunate
period i was advised to evacuate my immediate family outside the sultanate
to avoid further prosecution from the sultan and his security operatives.
Before I could do that I
was placed under house arrest by SHEIK HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH.

Before my arrest, I went ahead to dispatch the sum of USD$1 Billion in cash
under special arrangement into the custody of different Offshore Banks and
Private security and Trustee companies for safe keeping abroad. The money
where split and kept in the following countries in this proportion: USD$500
Million is in different offshore Bank accounts while the rest are with
Private Deposit & Trustee companies with:- USD$50 Million is in England,
USD$100 Million is in Spain, USD$100 Million is in Arabia, USD$80 Million is
in United Arab Emirate and the balance USD$100 Million in Malaysia and
USD$70 Million in Mubai India.

I am unable to reach my friends & associates whom would have provided all
the much needed moral and financial assistance i require to release the
funds because my private/personal diary was seized by my uncle SHEIK HAJI
HASSANAL BOLKIAH who also happens to be the Sultan of Brunei. I seek your
good will & assistance to receive and invest these funds into profitable
business investment in your country to facilitate future survival for me and
my family abroad. I am counting on your absolute transparency, honesty and
confidentiality which this transaction deserves while looking forward to
your prompt reply. I await your Urgent Reply.
Best Regards,

PRINCE FAYAD H. BOLKIAH

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Wassalam & Ramandha Kareem


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