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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: BARRISTER OSCAR UTULU CHAMBERS <barr.oscaru8@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: <barr_oscarutulu_chamber2@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:33:25 -0700
Subject: GREETINGS FROM OSCAR UTULU



GREETINGS FROM OSCAR UTULU14 Kingfisher Square Staunton Street, Deptford, London, SE8 5DA Good Day Sir/ Madam,This is a personal email directed to you and am requesting that it be treated as such. I do not mean any disrespect contacting you in this manner. I had to contact you this way because of the time constrains. I am Oscar Utulu a personal attorney/sole executor to the late Engr Charles, a nationality of your country hereinafter referred to as” my client". I represent the interest of my late client killed with his entire family in a fatal motor accident in East London on November 5, 2002.and I will like to negotiate the terms of investment of resources available to him. My late client, a formal Sub-Comptroller working with Chevron Texaco Oil here in the United Kingdom had left behind a deposit of Six Million Eight Hundred Thousand British Pounds Sterling only (£6.8million) with a finance company. The said fund originated from contr act transactions he executed in his registered area of business. Just after his death, I was contacted by the finance company reasons been that his last Will and Testament contains a residuary clause, giving his personal attorney express authority to nominate the beneficiary to his funds. in such a case where the original Depositor had died. The funds had remained unclaimed since his death, but I have written several letters to the embassy with intent to locate any of his extended relatives whom shall be claimants/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate and all such efforts have been to no avail. The fact is that my late client had left no possible records for trace of heirs for me. I had no choice but to inform the finance company about my fruitless effort in locating my late client close relative or his next of kin. The board of directors of the company had again informed me to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money within the next 15 official w orking days or forfeit the money as an abandoned fund. The company had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of the company to confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given me. In addition, I have received official letters in the last two days suggesting a likely proceeding for confiscation of his abandoned personal assets in line with existing laws of the institution. but it will interest you to know that as the pressure mounts, I discovered that some directors of this finance company where making plans already to have this funds to themselves only to use the excuse that since I am unable to find a Next of Kin to my late client then the funds should be confiscated. Mean while that is not their intentions but rather to have the funds retrieved for themselves. Well I reasoned very professionally and resolved to use a legal means to retrieve my late client's abandoned funds. That is to present a next of kin of my deceased client to the bank. Thi s is legally possible and would be done in accordance with the laws of the land. On this note I decided to search for a credible person and finding that you bear a similar last name, I was urged to contact you, that I may, with your consent, present you to the "trustee" as my late client's family member so as to enable you put up a claim to the bank in that capacity as a Next of Kin of my client. I find this possible for the fuller reasons that you are of the same nationality and you bear a similar last name with my late client making it a lot easier for you to put up a claim in that capacity. I have all vital documents that would confer you the legal right to make this claim and would make them available to you so that the proceeds of this bank account valued at £6.8million can be paid to you before it is confiscated or declared unserviceable to the bank where this huge amount is lodged. I do sincerely sympathize the death of my client but I think it is unprofitable f or his funds to be submitted to the government of this country or some financial institution. My aim is to retrieve this fund and let it be claimed by the deceased family name, etc. for this I seek your assistance since I have been unable to locate the relatives for the past 3year now and since no one has come for the claim. I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since you have the same last name giving you the advantage which also makes the claim most credible. In that stand, the proceeds of this account can be paid to you. Then we talk percentage. I know there might be other persons out there with the same surname as my last client, but after a little search and check my instinct tells me to contact you. Can I trust you on this? I shall assemble all the necessary documents that will be used to back up your claim. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. I will no t fail to bring to your notice that this proposal is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the completion of this transfer. As I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this. Please get in touch with me by my alternative email:barr_oscarutulu_chamber2@yahoo.co.uk for better confidentiality and send to me your telephone and fax numbers to enable us discuss further on this transaction.This proposal is acceptable by you do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you, Thanks for your understanding. Kind Regards.Oscar Utulu esq
_________________________________________________________________
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