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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: "zebulon zeni" <zenzebul12@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: zenzebul01@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 02 Jun 2006 01:01:06 +0200
Subject: ADB SA

FROM: AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
SOUTH AFRICA
TELEPHONE: +27-83-858-6353.


ATTN: DIRECTOR/CEO


I am Dr. Philip Zeni (FCAA), the chief accountant of African Development
Bank (ADB). There is an account open in this bank in1999 and since 2001
nobody has operated on this account again.
After going through some old files in the records, I discovered that if I do
not remit this money out urgently it would be forfeited for nothing. The
owner of this account is Mr. Smith B. Andreas, a foreigner, and a miner at
Kruger Gold Company, a Geologist by profession and he died since2000.No
other person knows this account or anything concerning it, the account has
no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that this
company does not know anything about this account and the money involved is
Fifteen Million United States Dollars (US$ 15 Million). I want us to first
transfer from this money into a safe overseas account.
I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money cannot be
approved to a local bank here, but can only be approved to any foreign
account because the money is in United States Dollars and the former owner
Mr. Smith B. Andreas is a foreigner too. I know that this message will come
to you as surprise as we don’t know ourselves before. We will sign an
agreement, but be sure that it is real and a genuine business.

I only got your contact information from my secretary who operates
computer with believe in God that you will never let me down in this
business, considering my position as a public servant. You are the only
person that have contacted in this business; so please reply urgently so
that I will inform you the next step to take immediately. Send also your
private telephone and fax numbers. I want us to meet face to-face and sign a
binding agreement to bind us together so that you can receive this money
into your account where the fund will be safe. And I will fly to your
country for withdrawal and sharing and other investment.

Meanwhile, I am contacting you because of the need to involve a foreigner
with foreign account and foreign beneficiary. I need your full co-operation
to make this work fine because the management is ready to approve this
payment to any foreigner who has correct information of this account, which
I will give to you as soon as you indicate your sincerity to co-operate with
me, and capability to handle such amount in strict confidence and trust
according to my instruction and advice for our mutual benefit because this
opportunity may never come again in my life.
I need a truthful and God fearing person in this business because I don’t
want
to make a mistake so I need your strong assurance and trust. With my
position in the office I don’t want anything that will jeopardize my job so
I advice that we should make secrecy and confidentiality our primary working
condition, bearing in mind that I am a public servant. I will also use my
position and influence to
effect legal approvals and onward transfer of this money to your account
with appropriate clearance forms of the ministries and foreign exchange
department.
At the conclusion of this business, you will be giving 25% of the total
amount, 70% will be for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties might
have incurred the process of the transfer.

I look forward to your

Regard,

Dr Philips Zeni. (CONFIDENTIAL.)

_________________________________________________________________
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