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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: "Henry Boma" <henryboma@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 09:49:14 +0000
Subject: GOOD DAY

My Dear,

Although we have not met, I saw your contacts in INTERNET SEARCH,After much
consideration i decided to write you since I cannot be able to see you face
to
face

At first I will like you to take your time to read this mail carefully.
I did not mean to embarrasse you with my business proposal but I seriously
need your assistance. Please this is a confidential matter and it requires
urgency.

I am MR HENRY BOMA the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign
remittance department of BANK OF AFRICA( BOA) cotonou benin republic
in west africa.
In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of
U.S$15.5m dollars (Fifteen million five hundred thousand USD) in an account
that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire
family in the 25 of dec 2003 plane crash here in (cotonou).
You will read more stories about the crash on visiting the below
website www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/

Since then we have been expecting his next of
kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless
some
body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated
in
our banking guidlines and laws, but unfortunately we learnt that all his
supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the( CRASH)
leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this , I now decided
to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the
next
of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement
since nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into the
bank
treasury asunclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidine here stipulates that if such money remained
unclaimed after two years, the money will be tranfered into the bank as
unclaimed bill.

I therefore agree that 40% of this money will be for you as foreign
partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10% will be set
aside for expenses incured during the business and 50% would be for me.
There after I will visit your country for disbursement according to the
percentages indicated.

Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as
arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relation or next of kin to
the deceased indicating your bank name, your bank account number, your
private
telephone and fax number for easy and effective communication and location
where the money will be remitted.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free
and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required
arrangements have been made for the transfer. You should contact me
immediately as soon as you recieve this letter.
Trusting to hear from you immediately.

Yours faithfully,

MR HENRY BOMA
Bill and Exchange Manager.

NB; plz reply through my private id(hen_boma@sify.com)


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