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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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Fraud email example:

From: "MARTIN PAUL" <martinpaul@barristerzone.org>
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 10:50:42 +0000
Subject: urgent attention please

My name is Barr. Martin Paul, a legal practitioner and the personal
Attorney to my late client, who died along with his wife and his Two sons in
a Ghastly motor accident along Brussels Paris road over 3
years now August 13, 2001.

Since then I had made several inquiries through your Embassy to locate any
of my clients extended relative but this exercise has proved unsuccessful.
After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives
through the Internet, to locate any member of his family not much progress
was recorded.

My late client was an influential wealthy businessman, an oil magnet here in
Nigeria and he left behind a deposit of Ten Million Two Hundred Thousand
United States Dollars only US$10,2OO,OOO.OO in his domiciliary bank account
with a bank here in Belgium.

After the death of my client his bankers contacted me, as his Attorney to
provide his next of kin who should inherit his fortune.


The board of directors of his bank adopted a resolution and I was mandated
to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money within 28 working
days or forfeit the money to the bank as an abandoned fund.

The bankers had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996 to
confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given to me.

Despairing at the point of exhaustiveness, fortunately, I came across your
name, to my utmost amazement, I discovered that you bear the same surname
with my late client and coincidentally, you are nationals of the same
country.

I am Convinced that you may be linked with my late client or that you might
provide clue to my search, I therefore, decided to contact with these facts
before me because of the similarities. By virtue of my closeness to the
deceased and his immediate family, I am very much aware of my client
financial standing and the bank account he operates.


I have reasoned very professionally and I feel it will be legally proper to
present you as the next of kin of my deceased client so that you can be paid
the funds left in his bank account hence I contacted you.

I seek your consent to present you as the Next of Kin to the Deceased since
you are at an advantage, so that the proceeds of this Bank Account valued at
US$10.2m Million Dollars can be paid to you.
We shall both share the funds. 55% to me and 45% to you, I shall assemble
all the necessary Legal Documents that will be used to back up our claim.
All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this deal
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law.

Please get in touch with me by email below:

Martinpaul@barristerzone.org

Barr_martinpaul@yahoo.co.uk



For further details.Martin Paul


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