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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: alberto george <albertgeorge_74@yahoo.es>
Reply-To: albert_maria74@yahoo.es
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:48:53 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: PLEASE NEED YOUR URGENT REPLY!


PLEASE EXCISE PATIENT TO GO THROUGH MY MESSAGE AND IN YOUR RETURN MAIL, REPLY TO: albert_maria74@yahoo.es

My name is Alberto George, and I am writing you from my home in Santa Clara, about 165 miles east of Havana, the Capital City of Cuba. Santa Clara is known for two landmarks; The famous Revolutionary, Che Guevera is buried here; and it is home to one of Cuba's largest universities, La Universidad Central "Martha Abreu" de Las Villas.

This is a compelling story, and I beg you to be patient and read through to the end…I was adopted in1962, at age 14 months by Mr. Giovanni George, the Sugar, cocoa and tobacco millionaire; some say he also made his fortune from the lucrative illicit drugs trade.

My adoption brought so much controversy (probably because I am black and a deaf), that Mr. George was forced by his family to put me into a foster home at age 5 ,where I stayed until maturity; Like most Cuban youths,I dreamt of freedom, which every one here knows is called America; like most youths, in time, I joined an Anti-Castro group and that merited automatic 24 hours round the clock surveillance by the Secret Police, but this is also normal in Cuba!

Mr. George, my father nevertheless funded my education through the above mentioned university, where I graduated in Automobile Engineering. I am now a mechanic, making just enough to take care of my wife Maria, and 3 boys, Junior, Jose, and Giovanni. Sadly, My father died Few months ago; left only his wife and family (he died childless), and I was not invited to his funeral by his family, but we mourned him deeply; I had no memory of my real father; but I loved him for his kindness to me; he frequently defied his family to visit me…When I got married, he gave my wife a ring present which we later found out was a diamond ring! His Last Will and testament was read and probated. No mention was made of me and my family. Understandably, I carried on with my life.

But before his death; he then invited me and my family , there he told me that he made the deposit of (FOURTY FIVE MILLION UNITED STATE DOLLARS) in a private security deposit firm in Abidjan city of Ivory coast, that he wanted to use this fund to invest in his cocoa and tobacco business in Ivory Coast...He then handed all the deposit documents of the consignment to me and ask me to keep it confidential, that even the Security Deposit Firm does not know that the Consignment kept in their custody contains money; According to him, he deposited it as a family valuables in my name; He then explained to me that he has instructed the Ivory Coast Security Deposit Firm to contact me as the Right beneficiary to the consignment; therefore arrange and ship the consignment to me.

He again warned me to maintain the highest level of confidentiality of the consignment, especially to his family members as they will deny me the possesion of the money if they find out that such money has been deposited in my name as the beneficiary! I therefore kept the documents confidentially as instructed by my late father waiting for the right time to transfer the consignment to safety abroad and arrange to travel out of Cuba with my family!

Some weeks ago, I received a letter from the private Security deposit firm in Ivory Coast, and the contents of that letter put me into shock! The manager of the Firm asked me to contact them immediately for the arrangement of transfering my inheritance to me as they are now facing political crisis/war which may start anytime from now and they never know when it will come to an end! I kept the letter for a week without mentioning it to my wife. Eventually I revealed everything to her…apparently My late father, Mr. George had provided for us after all!

The letter from the Manager explained that the political crisis may bring about the losing of the consignments in their custody; that they have alerted all their clients to come forward and claim their consignments....He also explained to me that according to the terms and agreement reached with my late father, the consignment deposited as a family valuables were to be delivered to me (The Beneficiary) as instructed by my late father; The manager of this firm in his letter therefore invited me to come forward to Ivory Coast, to claim my Inheritance! Or arrange with the them to ship the consignment to me.

But this simple invitation to travel to Ivory Coast or arrange with them to transfer the consignment to Cuba here is fraught with problems! I have no International Passport! It is impossible to travel out of Cuba,unless with special permission which will of course take months of paperwork to procure…As an Anti-Castro sympathizer , I have absolutely no hope of leaving Cuba legally…The only option is to leave by illegal ferry to the American Coast of Miami, which is extremely dangerous…Every one knows that success rate is about 20%, the unlucky get captured and repatriated back, to prison! But the rich and the connected have a better chance by using low flying aircraft ( which will beat the Cuban Radar) to smuggle them selves out! And there is no way I can transfer the consignment to Cuba here as Cuban government as well as my family members may seize the money!

I therefore desperately need your help! I need you to contact the Ivory Coast Company on my behalf and arrange with them to ship the consignment to you as the "Consignee"; secure the fund from the Company, Once the money is secured, I will make the usual underground deal to be smuggled out of Cuba by aircraft, to freedom!

I really need your help urgently! And there is absolutely NO RISK to you in this transaction; The consignment will arrive your end through aircargo fully insured with its necessary documents; I and my family are the ones at risk as we cannot travel out of Cuba easily to meet with you...

If you are willing to help me recover this my inheritance, please so indicate in your return reply mail and I will follow up with more details of the Ivory coast Company contact address and also more details of this transaction. You will then contact the Ivory Coast Security Deposit Company as the "Consignee" and thereafter arrange with them to ship the consignment to you to close the deal on my behalf and put the (FOURTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS) safely into the Banking system…

In consideration of your expenses during the course of this transaction, I freely offer you 30% of the total fund.....

Looking forward to your urgent reply,

Sincerely,

Alberto George




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