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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: "mr.george williams" <mr.officemail112@klikni.cz>
Reply-To: 0fficeofwilliams@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 15:56:47 -0700
Subject: FROM MR.GEORGE WILLIAMS


*FROM MR.GEORGE WILLIAMS
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT
OCEANIC BANK INTERNATIONAL PLC
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA *
*Email:0fficeofwilliams@gmail.com<http://us.f530.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Email%3Ainfo_oceanicbank_int_ng_plc@yahoo.es>

Let me introduce myself. My name is Mr.GEORGE WILLIAMSE,I am the auditing
and accounting officer of OCEANIC BANK INTERNATIONAL PLC.I got your contact
over the Internet in my searchfor the relatives of one of our numerous
customers who died alongside with his family in an air crash.

During the routine check in my branch, I discovered an abandoned sum of
welve million Five hundred united states dollars,(USD$12.5m). in an account
belonging to an expatriate customer Mr.Lynn Roy ,a mining
consultant/contractor with one of the leading oilcompany in Federal Republic
of Nigera before his accidental death on Saturday 4Th May 2002 in
Nigeriavia the ill-fated EAS Airline crash.


Ever since then, valuable efforts have been made to get to his people but to
no avail, as he had no known relatives and more so, he used his wife's name
as his next of kin in his account opening forms.I have been expecting his
relatives to come over to claim his money as it cannot be claimed
unlesssomebody applies officially for it as his next of kin as indicated in
our banking guide but no avail. Unfortunately, I discovered that his
supposed next of kin (his wife and children) died with him over the plane
crash incident.

Over the years, I decided to look for the necessary papers relating to the
deposit in order to make business out of it as the deposit was made in my
branch. Now that all papers are ready, I am asking for your assistant to
release the money to you as his relation/next of kin for safekeeping and
subsequent disbursement. I know that a transaction of this magnitude will
make any one apprehensive but I am assuring you of the Security of us all as
modalities have been perfected for a swift and smooth operation.

You are being contacted because Since nobody showed up for his money and I
don't want it to go back into Federal Republic Of Nigeria account as
unclaimed bill when the next audit is conducted. The banking law and
guideline here stipulates that such money if remain unclaimed, will be
transferred into banking treasury as unclaimed effect. The request of a
foreigner to act as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact
that the customer was a foreigne and a citizen of Federal Republic Of
Nigeria cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.

I am ready to negotiate the mode of sharing with you.I will visit your
country for the disbursement/investing of my share according to the
percentages we shall agree upon after the successful transfer of the money
to your account.

I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is 100%
hitch-free and that there is absolutely no risk in it, having concluded the
modalities for a smooth operation and my position in the bank guarantees its
successful execution. All I require is your honest co-operation, a guarantee
of your sincerity and capability to enable us conclude this deal.

Note however that the sensitive nature of this transaction demands that you
have to keep it absolutely confidential.

Please accept my apologies, keep my confidence anddisregard this letter if
you do not appreciate this proposition. Please contact on This Email:
0fficeofwilliams@gmail.com<http://us.f530.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=0fficeofwilliams@gmail.com>
*
*
Thank you very much for your time.
Yours faithfully,
Best regards,
Mr.GEORGE WILLIAMS*
Email:*0fficeofwilliams@gmail.com*<http://us.f530.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Email%3Ainfo_oceanicbank_int_ng_plc@yahoo.es>

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