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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: maebelle nortey <justicepeteribru@yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: maebellenortey@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 12:20:58 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: From Maebelle Nortey


From the Desk of Maebelle Nortey Global Alliance Financial Corporation

Attn:Friend ,

It is with great honour and previledge to contact you. My Name is Maebelle Nortey ,a citizen of Ghana and a credit officer of the Global Alliance Financial Corporation . Our Late Customer Mr. Morris who is a national of your country and who (in this case I am his accounting officer) died along with his wife and his Two sons in a ghastly motor accident along the express way, over 3 years now (August 13, 2004). All the occupants in the vehicle lost their lives. Our late Customer was a successful and an accomplished family man, He was an Oil consultant/contractor with the Ghana Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Before his untimely death,he made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months with our bank valued at US$40,000,000.00,(Forty Million United state Dollars).Upon maturity several notice was sent to him, but all effort proved abortive.

Since then I had made several inquiries through your Embassy to locate any of his extended relative but this exercise has proved unsuccessful. After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives through the Internet, to locate any member of his family not much progress was recorded.The board of directors of my bank adopted a resolution,and as the accounting officer I was mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money within 28 working days or forfeit the money will be sent to the Ghana govt reserve account.Further investigations revealed that he 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 was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So, Forty Million United state Dollars is still lying in my bank, and no one will ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that The Directors of my bank had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996 to confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given to me, Despairing at the point of exhaustiveness but fortunately, I came across you, and to my utmost amazement, you are a nationals of the same country and shares the same surname. My suggestion to you is that I will like you to stand as the next of kin so that you will be able to receive this funds.

However,I seek your consent to present you as the Next of Kin to the Deceased since you are at an advantage as nationals from the same country, I have contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary document that will back you up as the next of kin. All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. Be Inform also that we shall share the funds in the ratio 50% for me and 45% for you, while 5% should be for Expenses or Tax as your Government may require. Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue. I will bring you into a more details of this transaction when I hear from you.

I await your urgent response.

Regards
Maebelle Nortey


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