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: "peter thambo" <peter_thambo04a@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: peter_thambo1960@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2006 07:44:45 +0200
Subject: CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

FROM: PETER THAMBO
PHONE : 27-834-949-966
TELLFAX: 27-732-648-818
E-MAIL:peter_thambo04a@hotmail.com

Dear Sir,

HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL

I know that this message will come to you as a surprise since we don’t know
each other before, but for purpose of introduction, I am MR.PETER THAMBO
Chief ACCOUTANT of the AMALGAMATED BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA (ABSA).

There is an account opened in this bank in 1980 and since 1990 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.ANDREAS
GABRIEL and a miner at Kruger gold company a geologist by profession and he
died since 1990. No other person knows about this account or any thing
concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation
proved to me as well that his company does not know anything about this
account and the amount involved is (USD$ 26M) twenty six million United
States Dollars.

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 us dollars and the former owner of the
account is Mr.ANDREAS GABRIEL is a foreigner too. I know that this message
will come to you as a surprise as we don't know ourselves before. We will
sign an agreement, but be sure that it is real and a genuine business.

Please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take
immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the
full details of the account to be used for the deposit. I want us to meet
face to face or sign a binding agreement to bind us together so that you can
receive this money into a foreign account or any account of your choice
where the fund will be safe. And I will fly to your country for withdrawal
and sharing and other investments.

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 later, if you are able and willing to handle such amount in strict
confidence and trust according to my instructions and advice for our mutual
benefit because this opportunity will never come again in my life

. I need truthful person in this business because I don't want to make
mistake, I need your strong assurance and trust. With my position now in the
office I can transfer this money to any foreigner's reliable account, which
you can provide with assurance that this money will be intact pending my
physical arrival in your country for sharing. I will destroy all documents
of transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any
place. You can also come to discuss with me face to face after whom I will
make this remittance in your presence and two of us will fly to your country
at least two days after the money going into the account.

I will apply for annual leave to get visa immediately I hear from you that
you are ready to act and receive this fund in your account. I will 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 departments.

At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 25% of the total
amount, 70% will be for me, and while 5% will be for expenses both parties
might have incurred during the process of transferring.

I look forward to your earliest reply through my E- mail or by my FAX
number.
Yours truly,

PETER THAMBO

N/B YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS
E-MAIL:(peter_thambo1960@yahoo.co.uk)

_________________________________________________________________
See their smiles, hear their laughter with Windows Live Messenger!
http://messenger.live.com


Anti-fraud resources: