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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: Sean Lyon <s.lyon101@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <sean_yon@excite.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 05:30:59 -0400
Subject: A MUST READ INFORMATION (URGENT & IMPORTANT)



Compliment of the day to you, My name is Sean Lyon; I am the credit manager with a bank here in the Spain. I am contacting you in respect of a transaction of very great importance. Though I know that contact of this nature will make any one apprehensive and worried, I am assuring you that everything has been taken care of, and you have nothing to fear at all and i would be very glad if you would allow me bring you to a clearer picture of what is on ground, what we intend to do and how we intend to do it. This enquiry involves a client who shares your surname. It was brought to my knowledge that the aforementioned client died intestate and nominated no next of kin to the title over investments made. We came to know of you via the London. Global. Database.Center (L.G.D.C.) Hence I am making this contact. The essence of this communication with you is to request that you provide me with information on 3 KEY issues. 1. Are you aware of any relative/relation having the same surname, who’s last known, contact address was Brussels, Belgium? 2. Are you aware of any investment of considerable value made by such a person with any Private Bankers? 3 Can you establish beyond reasonable doubt your eligibility to assume status of next of kin to the deceased? He died in an air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline Boeing 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this fact from the website which was aired by the BBC WORLD NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm Since his death, none of his relatives or associates have come forward to lay claims to his funds as next-of-kin, and on my own i have made concerted effort to locate any of his relatives but all proved abortive. Based on the ethics and policies of the bank, it would be declared unclaimed and taken to the treasury of the bank as capital base of the bank, because already the account has been tagged dormant because it has exceeded the normal functional number of years. We cannot release the funds from his account unless someone applies for it or lays claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines. Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission and assistance to present you and have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased, so that the funds can be released and transfer to you, as all documentations will be carefully worked out by me for it to be released in your favor as the beneficiary's next of kin, if not the members of the board of directors will utilize it for their personal arrangements. Because after seven years as this is the sixth year going it will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and shared amongst the directors of the bank, so it is on this note I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary rather than allow the bank directors to share it amongst themselves at the end of the year. It may interest you to know that I have secured from the probate commission an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries. Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business endeavour by furnishing me with the following information if you are interested. 1. A beneficiary name, in order for me to prepare the document for transfer in your name. 2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers...For our personal contact and for easy communication between both of us. Upon your acceptance I shall send you my identity for more confidentiality and trust in each other as I shall trust you not to elope at completion. If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me immediately by this email. Do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you, I await your urgent response. Regards,Sean Lyon.
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