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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: Prince Baba <princebaba777@inbox.ru>
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:49:10 +0200
Subject: Letter from Prince. Awaiting your urgent response.


My dear,

I am the sole survivor in a family of 20. My family was slaughtered by Niger delta militants because my father (the Chief) provided valuable security information to Government Security forces and crude oil companies. In reprisal, my entire family was massacred… I survived because I was away in the university at Accra, Ghana Republic. The Niger delta militants have vowed to hunt me down and kill me. Nigeria was no longer safe for me, and I paid a Ship Captain to smuggle me into Great Britain (UK) . For more about Nigerian militants, please click on or copy and paste the link below on your computer web browser:
http://www.africamasterweb.com/AdSense/NigerianMilitants06Chronology.html

I am currently officially an asylum seeker, staying at:

Harmonsworth Immigration Removal Centre
Colnbrook by Pass,  Harmondsworth,  West Drayton,  UB7 0HB,  United Kingdom.

Before I left Africa for Britain, I boxed my father’s fortune worth US$35 million in cash (from royalties, commissions, concession sales, and gifts from the major oil companies), and shipped it by bonded courier to a Security safe deposit Company in Ghana… Now, I need the help of a trustworthy and God fearing foreigner to help me recover the US$35 million from Ghana, and invest accordingly abroad. Please note that the US$35 million is 100% legitimate, not from criminal sources and has no connection or link to terrorists.

If you wish, I can arrange to post to you (from Africa) a US$100 Dollar note so that you can confirm if the money is genuine or not!  After you have confirmed that the money is genuine, then you will understand that I am telling you 100% truth and help me?

For your help, you will keep 25% of the US$35 million, and keep my share for me until I obtain traveling documents and free to travel to meet you….

I am waiting anxiously for your reply.

Sincerely,
Prince Baba


London, United Kingdom of Great Britain
PS: I will give you my United Kingdom telephone number when I receive your reply.


Anti-fraud resources: