joewein.de LLC fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter! Free trial for 30 days

"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
• How to report 419 spam to us
• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

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.

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.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
  

Fraud email example:

From: "thomas higgen" <t_higgen17049@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 13:27:24 +0000
Subject: hello!

ROM:Mr.Thomas Higgen
Plot #22 Mbadiwe Crescent
Victoria Island
Lagos-Nigeria.

Hello,

I am Mr. Thomas Higgen, The assistant chairman foreign contractors
award committee of Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation [NNPC].
In the fiscal year 2002, there was a contract awarded to Julius
Berger ConstructionsCompany, by NNPC, this contract was to supply and
service oil and gas pipelinesin all NNPC refineries in the country.

The said contract has been executed last 2003 and the contractor has
been paid,but my good office used it's little contacts in the firm to over
invoice the said contract to the sum of Twenty five million dollars
[25million dollars].
My office cannot collect the money as the contract was awarded to a
foreign company and thereby the money must be collected by a foreigner,
please i am soliciting you to help in claiming the money as i have
every vital documentsto back you up the money on your behalf as the
rightful owner.

Once you indicates your willingness to help, we will hire an attorney
that will go to the federal high court here to obtain a certificate of
change of ownership of the money in Your name, a copy will be sent to you
and to the bank, hence BANK will contact you as the rightful beneficiary of
the said amount for payment.

For your good help you will get 40% of the total contract value while
60% will come back to me.
Thanks for your understanding and good help.

Best regards,
Thomas Higgen

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam