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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: "Barrister Chukwuma Emeka" <barr_chukwumaemeka1@msn.com>
Reply-To: chukwumaemeka@myway.com
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 12:58:51 +0000
Subject: BE THE NEXT OF KIN TO MY LATE CLIENT

Dear Lange,

All though this letter may appear as a surprise to you, but I will
appreciate if you can make out time to go through my message.

I am Barrister Chukwuma Emeka a solicitor at law and personal attorney to my
late client Mr Lange, a National of your country, He was formally a director
with Kobe Steel Corporation company, a Japanese company that constructed the
Liquidified Natural Gas Company in Eleme -River state Nigeria. My late
client, his wife and their three children were involved in a motor accident
along Sagbama express road Port Harcourt Rivers State Nigeria and
unfortunately the family died in the accident.

Prior to his death, my late client deposited $9.2 million (nine million two
hundred thousand united states dollars) with a security company in Europe.

The status now is that my client left no will or any information about his
next of kin and since then I have made several inquiries to your country's
Embassy to locate any of my late clients extended Relatives, this has also
proved unsuccessful.

After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his last name
over the Internet, to locate any member of his family hence I contacted
you.If I inform the company of my late client about the fund, they will
definitely want to claim it from the security company. In view of this,

I have decided to contact you to assist me in getting this fund from the
security company since nobody has any knowledge of the deposited fund.We can
get the fund from the security company in Europe, since you have the same
name with my late client; I will use your name to get all legal documents
from the federal high court presenting you as the executor of my client's
estate and also is next of kin, since I have his death certificate with me.
I believe this is privileged information which I expect you to keep
confidential and secret because of my profession.

The business will not take us time since all we need is to get the probate
documents from the court which I will fax to the company to inform them that
you are the next of kin to my client and beneficiary of the fund.

The deposited fund can be transferred direct to your bank account through
the consultants of the security company in Europe as soon as we conclude the
documentation process. I am ready to give you 40% of the total sum for your
co-operation.

If you are willing to assist me in getting the funds which we both will
benefit from, send me your full name/complete mailing address as I will need
it for the Legal documents. I will also need your direct telephone/fax
numbers as I will like a faster communication medium.

Your soonest response is anticipated.
Thank you for your anticipated co-operation
Barrister Chukwuma Emeka.


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