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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

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

Fraud email example:

From: "Mercy Cooker" <mercy_cooker1@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: WillamWilcox4@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:53:28 -1000
Subject: HOPE HEAR FROM YOU SOON

Hello,

I amMercy cooker, a private financial
consultant/Account portfolio manager. I happen to have
managed a particular account for a Resident Foreigner,
here in the United Kingdom, who accidentally died
Interstate, leaving in our care a reasonable amount in
a Domiciliary United States Dollars Account. The
Highly confidential nature of our client and our
Business Confidential disposition on Client to client
Basis did not warrant us to have an easily
identifiable next of Kin to this particular Client. I
have made several enquiries to locate any of my
client’s relatives immediate and extended, this has
proved unsuccessful. Hence, I am contacting you. I
need you to assist in securing the money and property
left behind by my client before they get confiscated
or declared unserviceable by the Finance House here in
the United Kingdom where his deposits were lodged. The
Finance House has issued Government Mandatory
Formality, notice to provide the Next of Kin or have
the account confiscated within the next one month.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating any of his
relatives for over two years and convinced that no
one! is coming up and having satisfied the mandatory
legal requirement of Beneficiary/next of kin
Notification, I now seek a Reliable and Trustworthy
person, with your consent and perfect understanding,
to present you as the next of kin of the deceased so
that the proceeds of this account valued at Twenty One
Million, Three Hundred And Twenty Thousand United
States Dollars, interest Inclusive, can be paid into
an account to be provided by you( preferably outside
the United Kingdom Financial Institutions or its
Isles), as the perceived Next Of Kin Legally and
otherwise.

I have all necessary documents to back up these claims
as Next of Kin on your behalf. All I require is your
honest cooperation and confidence in me, which I
believe that it is not easy, as we have not done
similar transaction before and not by reference. Hence
the reasons I choose to call this a deal, as it will
be based on trust to enable us see this transaction
through. I guarantee that this will be executed under
a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from
any breach of the law. I would advise that you give
this a positive consideration and get back to me soon
I would be very flexible as well as considerate in
percentage share that will be given to you for your
assistance.




Best regards,

Mercy cooker


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