joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
 Free trial for 30 days
   jwSpamSpy
Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Desmond Attia" <desnattia73@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: desnattia@katamail.com
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:33:41 -0500
Subject: Hello

Greetings,

I humbly seek your services in a confidential matter regarding some funds
($5,850,000.00) unaccounted for in our bank, Barclays Bank of Ghana,
Takoradi Branch, during the last 2006 business year. As a Regional Manager
in this Bank, I deposited this fund in an ESCROW CALL ACCOUNT at our
Headquarters. I need the assistance of a trustworthy person whom I shall
fill in as the original beneficiary of these funds. Your major role would be
to provide a bank account where the funds will be transferred. You will have
30% of these funds as your share at the end of this transaction.

What prompted this deal is because I have a 9-year old daughter who has
leukemia, blood cancer. She needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life.
I want this transplanting done in any good hospital in your country. I shall
resign from my job and bring my family to start a new life in your country
when this transfer is done.

If you can help me, please get back to me so that I shall give you more
detail.

Sincerely,
Desmond Nana Attia.

_________________________________________________________________
The average US Credit Score is 675. The cost to see yours: $0 by Experian.
http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=660600&bcd=EMAILFOOTERAVERAGE


Anti-fraud resources: