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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: "Mr Edwin Fong." <ed_fong@gawab.com>
Reply-To: edwin_fong1@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 15:58:10 +0200
Subject: HELLO


Mr Edwin Fong.
Maybank Hong Kong,
21/F, Man Yee Building,
68 Des Voeux Road Central,
Hong Kong.

Good Day To You,

I am Mr. Fong Edwin of Trade Finance
Department,Maybank Hong Kong. On
July 6,2004, our client Dr. Ravia Pumin, a
businessman, made a numbered
fixed deposit for 6 (six) calendar months, with a
value of US$16.5m
only in my branch.

Upon maturity several notice was sent to him and no
response came from
him. Another notification was sent early August 2005
and still no
response came from him. The Bank officially sent
two-man delegate to
his residence in Malaysia were he reside only to find
out that the
businessmogul and his family perished in the Tsunami
Disaster on 26th
december 2004.

After further investigations, it was also discovered
that Dr. Ravia
Pumin did not declare any next of kin in his official
papers, including
the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also
confided in me the last
time he visited my office that no one except me knew
of his deposit in
my bank. So,Sixteen million, Five Hundred Thousand
United State Dollars
is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come
forward to claim
it. According to the laws in Hong Kong, at the
expiration of two year
(2years) the funds will revert to the ownership of
Hong Kong Government
if nobody applies to claim the funds.

I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of
kin to Dr. Ravia
Pumin to enable you receive the funds. Lets put heads
together to see
how we can transfer these funds out of Hong Kong and
use it
judiciously.I have contacted my Attorney that will
prepare the
necessary document that will back you up as the next
of kin to Dr.
Ravia Pumin, all that is require from you at this
stage is for you to
provide me with your full names and Address including
your direct phone
and fax numbers for my Attorney to commence his job.
It can be sent
through
my personal Fax Line +852-301-493 75 or email.

My Attorney will also file in for claims on your
behalf and secure the
necessary approval and letter of probate in your favor
for the funds to
be move to an account that will be provided by you.We
are going to
adopt a legalized method and the Attorney will prepare
all the
necessary documents and no risk involve.Note that
sharing percentage is
negotiable by the two parties. Contact me via my
personal fax line
+852-301-493 75 or email
address:edwin_fong1@yahoo.com.hk

with your full names, address, fax and telephone
numbers if you are
interested and more details will be provided to you
about the Project.


Sincerely,


Edwin Fong

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