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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: "ABSA BANK" <absa_bank04@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2006 10:11:08 +0000
Subject: YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED.

From: Mr. David Roberts
Absa Bank of South Africa.
My. directline: + 27 76-483-3904
Johannesburg, South Africa.


Attention: Sir/Madam

I am a staff of Amalgamated Bank of South Africa (ABSA). I am writing
following an opportunity in my office that will be of immense benefit to
both of us.

In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$25.5million
(Twenty-Five Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in an
account that belongs to one of our foreign customers Late Mr. Morris
Thompson an American who unfortunately lost his life in the plane crash of
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his
wife and only daughter. You shall read more about the crash on visiting this
site which I got during my investigation;

http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin or relatives 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
as indicated in our banking guidelines.

Unfortunately I learnt that his supposed next of kin being his only daughter
died along with him in the plane crash leaving nobody with the knowledge of
this fund behind for the claim. It is therefore upon this discovery that I
and two other officials in this department now decided to make business with
you and release the money to you as the next of kin or beneficiary of the
funds for safety keeping and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming
for it and we don’t want this money to go back into the Government treasury
account as unclaimed bill.

The banking laws and guidelines here stipulates that if such money remained
after Ten years the money will be transferred into banking treasury as
unclaimed funds.

We agreed that 40% of this money would be for you as foreign partner, while
the balance of 60% will be for my colleagues and I, as you are the person to
act and provied overseas account as the Next of Kin" to inherit the said
fund. I will visit your country for the disbursement according to the
percentages indicated above once this money gets into your account. Please
be honest to me.

Note this transaction is confidential and risk free. As soon as you receive
this email you should contact me through my private email address,
(davidroberts@executivemail.co.za) .Please note that all necessary
arrangement for the smooth release of these funds to you has been finalized.
We will discuss much in details when I do receive your private telephone and
fax numbers including mobile. Be informed that seeing is believing in any
business we human beings are doing life.

Best regards

Mr. David Roberts.


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