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.

 

 

Fraud email example:

From: "Sullivan Richard" <r.richard6@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: sullivan_040@walla.com
Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 15:29:20 +0000
Subject: From Mr.Sullivan

URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Engineer Richard Sullivan

Shell Petroleum South Africa.

REPLY VIA:sullivan_060@walla.com



Greeting to you.

I am Richard Sullivan, a director of contracts evaluation and implemention

department of Shell Petroleoum,South Africa. I am married with Children and

hold degrees in economics and petro-chemical engineering.

I require urgently your unreserved assistance in providing me with a safe
and

reliable bank account with full details, where I can transfer the sum of

$20.5M (Twenty million five hundred thousand United States of American

Dollars) The purpose of the transfer is to take care of my retirement by

investing in a viable business you might deem fit to advise.

This sum of money was generated as a result of over-invoiced contracts

awarded by my colleagues and I, and I have arranged for the money to be

remitted out through a reliable expatriate partner whom I can present as the

beneficiary, as my present status and financial resources will not be

sufficient for me to handle the transfer successfully without the financial

assistance of a reliable foreign partner.

I got your profile from our chamber of commerce and it is with business
trust

that I write to request, you partner with us to facilitate the transfer of

this money to your nominated bank account for our mutual benefits.

Note that 20% will go to you for your efforts and your contribution, 5% is

for miscelleneous expenses incurred by both parties, and 75% will be shared

between me and colleagues which will be use for business investment in your

country under your supervision.

Please if you are interested kindly send to me immediately the underlisted:

1. Name to be used as beneficiary and beneficiarys address.

2. Your private and confidential telephone/ fax number(s)and Cell phone.

3. Your bank name,address,bank Account Number and Telephone/fax number(s).

I hope to conclude this business within fourteen- (14) working days.Looking

forward to your anticipated and urgent positive response.

Thanks indeed,

Engr.Richard Sullivan


Anti-fraud resources: