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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: "allen mark" <mrallenmark@msn.com>
Reply-To: mrallenmarkm@north.org
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 09:43:49 +0000
Subject: Operations Manager

From The Desk of Operations Manager
Custody and Clearing Dept
HSBC Bank Plc 24th Floor
8 Canada Square, London E14 5hq
website:www.hsbc.co.uk
 
I am the general manager in charge of the bank-wide Foreign operation. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$15.5 million (Fifteen Million Five hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family
in July 2000 in a plane crash. (AF4590) ON JULY 2000.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
INFORMATIONS.
BANK ACCOUNT NO:1910036101101,
GERMANY, WHO DIED IN A CONCORD PLAN CRASH (FLIGHT)
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased account as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws but unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.
It is therefore upon this discovery that 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 as soon you apply to this bank for subsequent disbursement, since nobody is coming for it and I personal don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill. The banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after five years, the money will be transferred into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner .
We agree that 30% of this money will be for you as a foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, for acting as Next of Kin and 70% would be for my colleagues and me. Meanwhile, 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 of the deceased, Stating the following
(1) Your Full Name and address
(2) Your bank name and Address
(3) Your bank name, account
(4) Your phone, fax and mobile
(5) Scanned copy of International passport or driver License
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email of the application form. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is 100% 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 receive my message.through private email address( mrallenmarkm@north.org)
 
 
http://www.hsbcnet.com/hsbc/home/contact-us/europe/united-kingdom
Please observe this instruction religiously. I send you this mail not
without a measure of fear as to what the consequences may be,but I know
within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and
riches never come easy or on a platter of gold. If this proposal is
acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage of the trust we have
bestowed in you, I await your urgent mail
Regard,
Mr. Allen, Mark
Foreign Operation General Manager
HSBC Bank Plc

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