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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: "zoba ahmed" <zoba_ahmed74@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: zoba_aon@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 04:29:05 +0200
Subject: DearFriend I need your co-operation

From Mr.Zoba Ahmed.
Audit and Accounts Manager,
Bank International Benin,
Cotonou, Republic of Benin.
Privet email add (
zoba_aon@yahoo.co.uk)
 
Dear Friend,
I need your honesty to work with you.
 
First and foremost, I must not fail to introduce myself to you, I am Mr. Zoba Ahmed Audit and Accounts Manager, Bank International Benin, I am mandated by my colleague to cordinate this transaction, my colleague is also manager in a department of our bank.
 
A Lebanise contractor with X-RAY CONSTRUCTION AND BILLINGS SARL COTONOU-BENIN REPUBLIC,  MR. JABBAR J. LAHABI made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for twelve calender months, valued at US$14.6 (Fourten Million Six Hundred Thousand Dollars)in my branch. Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers, the X-ray Construction & Billings Sarl Cotonou that MR. MR. JABBAR J. LAHABI died in a plane crash along with his wife. Here is the air crash website=
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/index.html
 
Since we got this information about his death we try every possible means to trace any of his relatives but all effort was fruitless. I therefore made further investigation and discovered that MR. JABBAR J. LAHABI did not declare any kin or relations in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank. This sum of US$14.6 is still sitting in my Bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. According to Laws of Republic of Benin, at the expiration of 7 (seven) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the (BENIN) Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.
 
Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to MR. JABBAR J. LAHABI since I am here in the bank as your secret insider who will provide every neccessary information concerning MR. JABBAR J. LAHABI together with his account informations in our bank here.
 
As soon as I confirm your readiness to work with me, I will provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you as the bonafide next of kin, so you should not entertain any atom of fear in this transaction as I am still member and staff of the bank panel that will be charged to investigate the whole process of this inheritance fund transfer, with the personal information that you will give us.
 
Please send me your confidential telephone and fax numbers for easy communication. Please observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance to invest my share in your country.
 
I await for your most urgent reply via email through my private address (
zoba_aon@yahoo.co.uk), as this transaction is not good to be delayed as we have a poor time frame.
 
Regards.
Mr. Zoba Ahmed.
Pls do reply urgently, as soon as you receive this letter for more clarification.


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