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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: "James Brown" <james_brown204@msn.com>
Reply-To: jamesbrown_200011@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 12:12:48 +0000
Subject: GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

MR.JAMES BROWN.
Valiant Privat Bank AG
Postfach 3001 Bern,
Switzerland
Reply to: jamesbrown_200011@yahoo.com

Confidential Tel: + 41 445804933
Confidential Fax: + 41 445804934

Dear Sir/Madam;

PRIVATE AND URGENT.

I am contacting you on business transfer of a huge sum
of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a
transaction of this magnitude will make any one
apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that
all will bewell at the end of the day. We decided to
contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

PROPOSITION;

We discovered an abandoned sum of (Seven million five
hundred thousand united states dollars)in an account
that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died
along with his entire family. Since his death,none of
his next-of-kin or relations has come forward to lay
claims for this money as the heir. We cannot release
the fund from his account unless someone applies for
claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in
our banking guidelines.Upon this discovery, we now seek
your permission to have you stand as a next of kin to the
deceased as all documentations will be carefully worked out
by us for the funds (Seven million five hundred thousand
united states dollars) to be released in your favour as the
beneficiary's next of kin.It may interest you to know that
we have secured from the probate an order of madamus to
locate any of deceased beneficiaries.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of
our mutual business endeavour by furnishing me with the
following;

1. Beneficiary name and address
2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers

These requirements will enable us file letter of claim
to the appropriate departments for necessary approvals
in your favour before the transfer can be made. We shall be
compensating you with a million dollars on final conclusion
of this project,while the rest shall be for us.Your share
stays while the rest shall be for us forinvestment
purposes.
If this proposal is acceptable by you,do not take undue
advantage of the trust we have bestowed in you,

I await your urgent response.

Regards,

Mr.James Brown.

NB:Call me if you are realy willing to assist me.
Tel: + 41445804933



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