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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: Mariam Ahmed <mariam_00ahmed@yahoo.co.jp>
Reply-To: mariamforgod@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:41:20 +0900 (JST)
Subject: With Due Respects.

Good day Dear.

My name is Miss Mariam Ahmed 19 years old from Sierra Leone West Africa. I have contacted you with all hopes and belief that you will honestly help to wipe away my tears. Toughly we have not met or known each other before but I have to confide in you to succeed my trials.
My problems of hardship started when my parents where brutally murdered by unknown killers shortly after their arrival from Europe on one of their business trips. My father Mr Ibrahim Ahmed was a gold and diamond dealer running his business from Freetown. All efforts to track down the killers were
not successful and this made me be afraid.

Before the death of my parents, my father had told me of a deposit of a metallic trunk box containing US$ 12 Million dollars in a private security company in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.
He made the deposit as family valuables of personal effects for security purposes. I have gone to the company to confirm the deposit with the certificates of deposit. I am now seeking your humble assistance to help me as a foreign partner to contact the security company and have the change of
ownership of the box made to your name so that the company can release and deliver the box of the money to your country for my investments purposes which i will want you to be of good help.

I want you to assure me if you can completely help me to carry out the release and delivery of the box to you. Can I completely trust you in this respect? If you can help me i have decided to give you 20% of the total money immediately the box is delivered to your care.
I am now living in Abidjan where i am contacting you and hoping you will confidentially assist me to have the box release and delivered. As soon as this transaction is done you will help me to come to meet with you in your country.
I wait for your immediate answers and may God bless you.

Thanks yours sincerely,
Miss Mariam Ahmed.




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