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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: "Ben Martins" <ben_41martins@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:29:31 +0200
Subject: STRICTLY CONFIDENTAL PLEASE

FROM: DR. BEN MARTINS
5 RIDER HAGGARD CLOSE, 2001
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
TEL:+27- 83-348-8252.

ATTN:

My greetings,

TRANSFER OF (US$10.5 MILLION) TEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STTES
DOLLARS

We want to transfer to overseas (US$10.5 Million) from the Amalgamated Bank
of South Africa ABSA. 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 account immediately to receive this money,
even an empty account 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 Dr. Ben Martins, the Auditor General of ABSA, 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. Allan P. Seaman, a foreigner and an
industrialist, he 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 Allan P. Seaman until his death
was the manager of Diamond Safari (Pty.) South Africa.

We want to transfer this sum US$10.5 million (Ten Million five hundred
thousand US Dollars) into a safe foreigners account abroad, 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, but can only be approved to any
foreigner with valid international passport or drivers licence.

The money is in US Dollars and the former owner of the account Mr. Allan P.
Seaman is a foreigner too and the money can only be approved into a foreign
account. Considering the recommendation I received in your favour by the
South Africa Chamber of Commerce as regards your suitability and reliability
in carrying out this transaction, I hereby crave your indulgence to
co-operate with me in this mutually beneficiary transaction.

I am revealing this to you, believing 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 the
next step to take. Please while replying include your private telephone and
fax numbers including the full details of the account to be used for the
deposit. Also note that upon your reply, we may opt for telephone and fax
communication, as this channel may not be safe for the transaction.

With my influence and the position of the bank official we can transfer this
money to any foreigner?s reliable account that you can provide with
assurance that this money will be intact pending our physical arrival in
your country for shari ng. The bank official will destroy all documents of
transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place.
As you receive this fund in your account. I will use my position and
influence to obtain legal approvals for I will apply for annual leave to get
visa immediately.

At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 30% of the total
amount, 5% processing of the transfer,while the remaining 65% will be my.
Please if you are interested in this transaction, contact me with these
telephone and numbers above and I will give you the procedure of the
business.

I look forward to your earliest reply.

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Ben Martins

_________________________________________________________________
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