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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: "marry" <marry_1111a@yahoo.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: marry_111z@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 15:22:41 +0100
Subject: GOOD DAY


Dearest One ,

please write me, I am writting this letter with due respect and heartful of tears since we have not known or meet ourselves previously I am asking for your assistance after I have gone through a profile that speaks good of you. I want to find out if it's possible for you to deal with individual as to investment. My dear i will be so glad if you can allow me and lead me to the right channel towards your assistance to my situation
now.

I will make my proposal well known to you. I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself to you. I am Miss Marry catim 22yrs old girl from Sieria Leone in west Africa,the daughter of Late Chief Micheal Koffi Catim the former Director of military inteligence and special acting General Manager of the Sieria Leone Diamond
mining coperation(SLDMC ).

The main reason why Iam contacting you now is to seek your assistance in the area of my future, to transfer and invest USD (us 18.5 million dorllars) belonging to my late father which is deposited in a bank in DUBAI. This money is revenues from solid minerals and diamonds sale which were under my father possession before the civil war broke out in MY country Sierra-Leone. Following the brake out of the war, almost all government offices, coperations and parastatals were attacked andvandalized.

The SLDMC was loothed and burnt down to ashes, and diamonds worth millions of dollars was stolen by the rebel military forces who attacked our father's office.Many top government officials and senior army officers were assasinated and my father was a key target because of his very sensitive military possition and appointment in the SLDMC.Regreatably, MY father was captured and murdered along with my half brother in cool blood during a mid-night rebel shoot-out when our official residence in freetown was armbushed by Fordey Sanko the notorious rebel leader.

My mother sustainded very severe bullet injuries which resulted to her untimely and painful death in a private hospital here in dubai. Now i am alone in a totally strange country without parents, relatives or any body to care for me at my tender ages. Before my mother died, she told me that my late father deposited some money which was made from diamond sales and contracts in a bank in Dubai and that we should pray and find a trustworthy foreign business partner who would help me to transfer and invest this money in profitable business venture overseas. She told me to do this quickly so that i can leave Dubai, then settle down abroad.She gave me all the bank documents to prove the deposit and then told me that my late father used my name ( marry Catim )as the only daughter to deposit the money in the bank here.She told me that this is the reason why we came to dubai. My mother died afterwards. May
her spirit rest in perfect peace.

I have gone to the bank to make inquires about this money and I spoke with the
director of International remittance who assured me that everything is ok in their computers. as the director promised to help me.If you are willing to assist me, please let me know immediately through my private email address provide me with your following informations for bank here to make the transfer:

1. Your full names and address, tel/ fax/ mobile
2. Name of Bank and addres, Tel/fax/telex
3. Account name and number.

I have made up my mind to offer you 35% of the total money
i am hoping to hear your urgent response so that i can stop look for another foreign partner.

Thank you and may God bless you and your dear
family.As I look forward for your urgent response.
Best Regards,
marry

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