joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Dr. Neophytoy George." <neophytoy@caramail.com>
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 10:45:10 +0100
Subject: BUSINESS CONTACT.


Dear Sir/Madam,
Firstly, I must solicit your strictest confidentiality in this transaction.
This is by virtue of its nature as being utterly CONFIDENTIAL and "TOP
SECRET." Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make
anyone apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be
well at the end of the day. We have decided to contact you first by your
email due to the urgency of this transaction we have been reliably informed
that it will take at least two to three weeks for a normal post to reach
you. So we decided it is best using the email. Let me start by first
introducing myself properly to you.
I am Dr. NEOPHYTOY GEORGE. a director general in the Petroleum Ministry and I
head a Six-man tender board in charge of Contracts Awards and payment
Approvals. I came to know of you in my search for a reliable and reputable
person to handle a very confidential business transaction and to plan
together which involves the transfer of a huge sum of money to a foreign
account requiring maximum confidence and trustworthy personal.
I and my colleagues are top officials of the Federal Government Contract
Review and Award Panel. Our duties include evaluation, vetting, approval
for payment of contract jobs done for the Petroleum Ministry, etc. In order
to commence this business, we solicit for your assistance to enable us
transfer into your account the said funds.
The source of this funds is as follows: During the last Niger-Delta crisis
here in Nigeria, this committee awarded a contract of US$400,000,000.00
(Four Hundred Million United States Dollars) to five construction firms on
behalf of the Petroleum Ministry for the supply, construction and
installation of Oil Pipeline from Warri to PortHarcourt. During this
process my colleagues and I decided amongst ourselves to deliberately
over-inflate the total contract sum to US$436,500,000.00 (Four Hundred and
Thirty Six Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) with the
main intention of sharing the remaining sum of US$36,500,000.00 (Thirty Six
Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) amongst ourselves. The
Federal Government of Nigeria has since approved the sum of
US$436,500,000.00 (Four Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Five Hundred
Thousand United States Dollars) for us as the contract sum, and the sum of
US$400,000,000.00 (Four Hundred Million United States Dollars) has also
been paid to the foreign contractors concerned as contract entitlements for
the contract done, but since each of the companies is entitled to
US$80,000,000.00 only, we are now left with US$36,500,000.00 balance in the
account which we intend to transfer abroad into a safe and
reliable personal account or business account to be disbursed amongst
ourselves, but by virtue of our positions as civil servants and members of
this panel, we cannot do this by ourselves, as we are prohibited by the
'Code of Conduct Bureau' (Civil Service Laws) from opening / operating
foreign accounts in our names, making it impossible for us to acquire the
money in our names. I have, therefore, been mandated as a matter of trust
by my colleagues in the panel to look for an overseas partner into whose
account we would transfer the sum of US$36,500,000.00 (Thirty Six Million
Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), hence we are writing you this
letter.
My colleagues and I have agreed that if your company can act as the
beneficiary of this funds on our behalf, you or your company will retain
20% of the total amount of US$36,500,000.00 (Thirty Six Million Five
Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), while 70% will be for us (members
of this panel) and the remaining 10% will be used in offsetting all
debts/expenses incurred (both local and foreign) in the cause of
thistransfer.
Needless to say, the trust reposed on you at this juncture is enormous. In
return we demand your complete honesty and trust. You must however, NOTE
that this transaction will be strictly based on the following terms and
conditions as we have stated below, as we have heard confirmed cases of
business associates running away with funds kept in their custody when it
finally arrive their accounts. A very good and recent example is the one of
Mr. Peter Hopwood, the President of Mileage Trading and Investment Company
at Number 121, West 55th Street, 21st Floor, New York 10022, and former
Chairman of OMPADEC (Mr. Patrick Opia), who we were reliably informed that
after the agreement between both partners in which he was to take 15% of
the money, while the remaining 85% for Nigerian Officials. With all the
required documents signed, the money was duly transferred into his account,
only to be disappointed on their arrival in New York and were informed that
Mr. Peter Hopwood was no longer on that address, while his telephone and
fax numbers have been re-allocated to somebody else. This was how they lost
US$18.5 Million to
Mr. Hopwood. This is a very recent story here in my country and everybody
is aware of this, some of the officials decided to cry out and face the
law, because they felt they had lost too much to a stranger,
while the Chairman of OMPADEC (Mr. Patrick Opia) is hiding in a foreign
country. So right now we are taking all precautionary measures to guard
against re-occurrence of such act in our case.
This is why we have decided that this transaction will be based completely
on the following:
(a). Our conviction of your transparent honesty and diligence.
(b). That you would treat this transaction with utmost secrecy and
confidentiality.
(c). That upon receipt of the funds, you will promptly release our share.
(70%) on demand after you have removed your 20% and all expenses have been
settled.
(d). You must be ready to produce us with enough information about
yourself to put our minds at rest.
Please, note that this transaction is 100% legal and risk free and we hope
to conclude the business in Seven Bank working days from the date of
receipt of the necessary information and requirement from you.
Please, acknowledge the receipt of this letter using my email address. I
will bring you into the complete picture of the transaction when I have
heard from you.
Your urgent response will be highly appreciated as we are already behind
schedule for this financial quarter.
Thank you and God bless.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. NEOPHYTOY GEORGE.
Ikoyi Lagos.




Anti-fraud resources: