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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: BEN AGUDA <benaguda1@fsmail.net>
Reply-To: benaguda@fsmail.net
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 17:43:03 +0200
Subject: CITIZEN BANK PLC


Good day,
My name is Ben Aguda staff of the CITIZEN BANK PLC. I am an accountant with the said bank, I discovered an account with the sum of US$27.800,000.00.( Twentyseven million eight hundred thousand US dollars) that has been abandoned and unserviced for more than eleven years belonging to one of our customer. Our banking law stipulates that if such account remain unserviced and the fund unclaimed for twelve years, the money will be confiscated and go to the bank revenue as an unclaimed fund.
It is upon this discovery my colleaques and I decided to make our secret and personal inquiries about the account's owner (depositor) and the next of kin, but sadly, he died with his Wife and only child in a plane crash. We solicit that you stand as the next of kin so that the money will be transfered to your account or any other account you may provide for us. We proposed that the money be shared as follows, 30% for you, 70% for my colleaques and I. As officials of the bank, we have the full account information and document to surport your claim.
Please, could you urgently notify me of your acceptance to assist in this transaction, I shall inturn provide you with all necessary information about the account and the modalities for a formal application to secure the claim and the immediate transfer of the fund to your account or any other account you may provide for us.
I believe you do understand the confidential nature of this transaction and hope you will be honest and trustworthy.
Best regards,
Ben Aguda

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