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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: mail@cortado.co.uk
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:47:16 +0100
Subject: GREETINGS



SMITH CHAMBERS AND PARTNERS
BRIDGE END WALTHAMSLOW
London E17,United Kingdom,
Tel:Fax:+44 (0) 7031967201
Fax:+44 (0) 7809745512
Email: mail@cortado.co.uk


Greetings,

This is a personal email directed to you and I request that
it should be treated as such. I am Raymond Smith, a
solicitor at law.

I am the personal attorney/sole executor to the late Mr.
Mark Ginsburg, who died in a car crash with his immediate
family on the 5th of Nov 2000. Since the death of my client
in Nov, 2000, I have written several letters to the embassy
with an 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. More so,
I have received official letters in the last few weeks
suggesting a likely proceeding for confiscation of his
abandoned personal assets in line with existing laws by the
bank in which my client deposited the sum of 8.370m GBP. The
board of directors of the company now adopted a resolution
mandating me to provide his next of kin for the payment of
this deposit within the next 15 official working days or
forfeit the fund as an abandoned fund. The company had
planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996 to
confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period
given to me but after an investigation in the finance
company, I found out that some members of the company wants
to divert this fund into their private accounts for their
own selfish interest and only want, to use the excuse that
since I am not able to provide a confide kinship the claim,
the fund should be made unserviceable. this implies that
means submitting the fund to the federal government of this
country which is not their main intentions.

By virtue of my closeness to the deceased and his immediate
family, I am very much aware of my client's financial
standing. I do sincerely sympathize the death of my client,
but had thought it unprofitable for his funds to be
submitted to the federal government of this country and the
finance company where it is lodged. I have reasoned very,
professionally of which I feel it will be legally proper to
present you as the next of kin of my deceased client, which
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 contacted you for partnership, I was
urged to contact you, and with your consent to present you
to the "DFS" finance as my late client's surviving 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, so that the
proceeds of This Bank Account valued at Eight Million Three
Hundred and seventy Thousand British Pounds Sterling only
(8.370 million) can be paid to you following my directions
and guideline, before they get confiscated or declared
unserviceable to the bank where this huge deposit is lodged.
Note that this is legal, and 100% risk free since I have all
vital documents that would be requested by them and that
would confer you the legal right to make this claim.
Therefore, to facilitate the immediate re profiling of this
fund, you need, first to contact me via my alternative
email: mail@cortado.co.uk
address signifying your interest and as soon as I obtain
your confidence, I will immediately intimate you with the
complete details as well as fax you the documents, with
which you are to proceed and I shall direct you on how to
put up an application to the bank.

Upon the receipt of your reply, I will send you by fax or
E-mail the next step to take. I will not 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. I
guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate
arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the
law. Please get in touch with me through my alternative for
better confidentiality and send to me your telephone and fax
numbers to enable us discuss further about this transaction.
Like I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on
this. Please let me have your opinion as soon as possible
for My contact number is +44 7031967201,and If this proposal
is acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage of the
trust I have bestowed in you, I await your urgent response.

Give me a call at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Raymond Smith (Esq.)
009 44 7031967201
Reply to: mail@cortado.co.uk


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