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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: "Alexander Richards" <lexrich1@sympatico.ca>
Reply-To: alexanderrichards@mail.md
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 19:06:33 +0000
Subject: PROPOSITION

My name is Alexander Richards, I am a banking officer in a bank here in
theUnited Kingdom. I am contacting you of a business transfer, of a huge sum
of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this
magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you
that everything has been taken care off, and all will be well at the end of
the day. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

PROPOSITION; I am the account officer of a foreigner named Dr Paul Jakobi
who died in an air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an
Egyptian airline 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this
from the website below which was published by BBC WORLD NEWS.

WEBSITE.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm

Since his death, none of his next-of-kin is alive to make claims for this
money as his heir,because they all died in the same accident himself and his
wife(May their soul rest in peace). We cannot release the fund from his
account
unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as
indicated in our banking guidelines.
Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission to have you stand as a next
of kin to the deceased, as all documentations will be carefully worked out
by me for the funds (GB£5,000,000.00) to be released in your favor as the
beneficiary's next of kin. Because after Ten years the money will be called
back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared amongst
the directors of the bank. so it is on this note,that i decided to seek for
whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds
rather
than allow the bank directors to share this money amongst themselves at the
end of the year.
It may interest you to know that we have secured from the probate an order
of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries. Please acknowledge
receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business endeavor by
furnishing me with the following information if you are interested.

1.A Beneficiary name..In order for me to prepare the document for transfer
of the funds in your name.
2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers...For our personal contact and mutual
trust in each other. I shall be compensating you with a million five hundred
pounds sterlings(£1.5Million pounds) on final conclusion of this project for
your assistance, while the balance £3.5million pounds shall be for me for
investment purposes. Because I intend to retire after the conclusion of this
transaction. If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to
contact me immediately via (alexanderrichards@mail.md) I await your urgent
mail

Regards,
Mr.Alexander Richards.


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