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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: "sam sam" <samuel_uu13@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: samuel_ugo333@yahoo.ca
Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 02:04:02 +0000
Subject: Good Day Starr, (Urgent Asap)

Magnum trust bank & Finance Home
Magnum House, 6th Floor, Idejo
Street,Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Fax:  +234-1-2669246

Dear Starr,
 
With due respect, trust and humility, I write you this proposal believing that it will receive the most desired attention from you even as we have not had any previous correspondence, Although, I am constrained by insufficient information about you,but I will express in full the main objectives of this proposal. 
 
My name is Mr.Samuel Ugo. I am the account manager of bills and treasury department with the
Magnum Trust Bank % finance Home plc. I got your contact over the Internet in my search for the relatives of one of our numerous customers who died alongside with his family in an air crash having discovered that you share the same name. During the routine check in my branch, I discovered an abandoned ($10.5 Million U S ) Dollars in an account belonging to an expatriate customer Late Engr Peter R.Starr, a mining consultant/contractor with one of the leading oil company in Nigeria before his accidental death on Saturday 4th May 2002 via the ill-fated EAS Airline crash.You may visit the following websites to read more about the incident. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1968616.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1968300.stm
http://www.usafricaonline.com/ngrkanocrash.html
 
Ever since then, valuable efforts have been made to get to his people but to no avail, as he had no known relatives and more so, he used his wife's name as his next of kin in his account opening forms.I have been expecting his relatives to come over to claim his money as it cannot be claimed unless somebody applies officially for it as his next of kin as indicated in our banking guide but no  avail. Unfortunately, I discovered that his supposed next of kin (his wife and children) died with him over the plane crash incident.Over the years, I decided to look for the necessary papers relating to the deposit in order to make business out of it as the deposit was made in my branch. Now that all papers are ready, I am asking for your assistant to release the money to you as his relation/next of kin for safekeeping and subsequent disbursement.

 I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive but I am assuring you of the security of us all as modalities have  been perfected for a swift and smooth operation. You are being contacted because you share the same name with he deceased. Since nobody showed up for his money and I don't want it to go back into Federal Government account as unclaimed bill when the next audit is conducted. The banking law and guideline here stipulates that such money if remain unclaimed, will be transferred into banking treasury as unclaimed effect.
 
The request of a foreigner to act as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Nigerian cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner. You are most qualified in this transaction as you share the same name with the deceased. I am ready to negotiate the mode of sharing with you.

I will visit your country for the disbursement/investing of my share according to the percentages we shall agree upon after the successful transfer of the money to your account. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is 100% hitch-free and that there is absolutely no risk in it, having concluded the modalities for a smooth operation and my position in the
bank guarantees its successful execution.

All I require is your honest co-operation, a guarantee of your sincerity and capability to enable us conclude this deal. Note however that the sensitive nature of this transaction demands that you have to keep it absolutely confidential.  Please accept my apologies, keep my confidence and disregard this letter if you do not appreciate this proposition. Thank you very much for your time. Where interest is indicated, contact me

immediately through the reply address configured in this mail box.Please note to
include your telephone number and fax for fast communication.
 
Trusting to hear from you immediately,
Samuel Ugo.



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