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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: samuel ihems <samihems@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:55:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Very important.


FROM THE DESK OF SAMUEL C. IHEMS
AUDITOR GENERAL OF ECOBANK NIGERIA PLC.
Dear Sir/Madam,

We want to transfer to overseas ($18,000.000.00 USD) Eighteen million united states dollars from a Bank in Africa, I want to ask you to quietly look for a reliable and honest person who will be capable and fit to provide either an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank a/c immediately to receive this money, even an empty a/c can serve to receive this money, as long as you will remain honest to me till the end for this important business trusting in you and believing in God that you will never let me down either now or in future.

I am MR. SAMUEL C. IHEMS, the Auditor General of ECOBANK NIGERIA LIMITED, during the course of our auditing, I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the bank in 1990 and since 1993 nobody has operated on this account again, after going through some old files in the records I discovered that the owner of the account died without a [heir] hence the money is floating and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be forfeited for nothing.

The owner of this account is Mr.Arthur Coleman ,a foreigner, and an Industrialist, who died since 1993 and no other person knows about this account or anything concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that Arthur Coleman until his death was the manager of Coleman Coy.(pty). SA. We will start the first transfer with Ten million dollars(US$10,000,000.00) upon successful transaction without any disappointment from your side, we shall re-apply for the payment of the remaining amount to your account.

The amount involved is (US$18M) Eighteen million us dollars United States Dollars only. I want to first transfer us$10,000.000 [Ten million united States Dollars] from this money into a safe foreigners account abroad before the rest, but I don't know any foreigner, I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money can not be approved to a local person here, without valid international foreign passport, but can only be approved to a foreigner with valid international passport or drivers license and foreign a/c because the money is in US DOLLARS and the former owner of the a/c Mr. Arthur Coleman is a foreigner too, and the money can only be approved into a foreign a/c.

However, we will sign a binding agreement, to bind us together. I got your contact address from my Secretary who operates computer. I am revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let me down in this business, you are the first and the only person that I am contacting for this business, so please reply urgently so that I will inform you on the next step to take urgently. Send also your private telephone and fax numbers including the full details of the account to be used for the deposit.I want us to meet face to face to build confidence and to sign a binding agreement that will bind us together before transferring the money to any account of your choice where the fund will be safe before we fly to your country for withdrawal, sharing and investments.

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, upon your positive response and once I am convinced that you are capable and will meet up with instructions of a key bank official who is deeply involved with me in this business. I need your strong assurance that you will never,never let me down. With my influence and the position of the bank official, we can transfer this money to any foreigner's reliable account which you can provide with assurance that this money will be intact pending our physical arrival in your country for sharing. The bank official will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place and to build confidence you can come immediately to discuss with me face to face after which I will make this remittance in your presence and three of us will fly to your
country at least two days ahead of 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 actand receive this fund in your account.

I will use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for
onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance from the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments. At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 35% of the total amount, 60% will be for me, while 5% will be forexpenses both parties might have incurred during the process of transfering.

I look forward to your earliest reply.

Yours,

MR. SAMUEL C. IHEMS.




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