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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: e e <adamaadama3@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: <a_dama_toure@yahoo.fr>
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:27:49 +0100
Subject: Dear Sir,



Dear Sir,

I wish to inform you that this mail should be handled as a very important one and treated seriously. We want to transfer to an overseas account the sum of $6,250.000.00 (Six million two hundred and fifty thousand United States Dollars)from a prime Bank here in Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire.In contacting you, I am convinced that you can handle this transaction to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

I am Mr. Toure Innocent, working in one of the banks here in Abidjian Cote d'Ivoire.I am the accounts officer to the account of Mr. Pierre Jeanclaude, a French national who was killed by the rebels due to his support for this present government. During a routine check on files in my department, I discovered that the owner of the account died without a next of kin. He was a divorcee which proves to me that nobody knows about the existence of such account or the amount in it. If we do not remit this fund out immediately it will be forfeited to the bank as unclaimed fund if the management of the bank knows about his death and the status of the account and the amount involved.This is a normal policy of banks here.I guarantee you that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 30% of the total amount
I look forward to your earliest reply.
Best Regards,
Mr. Toure Innocent
Email.a_dama_toure@yahoo.fr
_________________________________________________________________
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