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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: "James Koffi" <info@dadavipo.com>
Reply-To: james02koffi@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:21:42 +0000
Subject: Your Immediate Urgent Reply Needed !!




From: Dr. James Koffi
Lome, Togo.
Direct tel: 00 228 986 8791.

Dear Sir/Madam,

May I clave your indulgence to solicit for your co-operation in a mutual beneficial business opportunity which involves safeguarding funds. In a brief introduction my name is Dr. James Koffi, the chairman, Contract Awarding Committee of the African union (AU) with its fund headquarters in Lome-Togo. I am a Togolese and married. I got your contact during my search for a reliable, honest and a trust worth person to assist me in the transfer of US$14,000,000.00 only (Fourtenn Million United State dollars) This fund was a residue of the over invoiced contract bills awarded by me intentionally for the supply of hard/soft wares, pharmaceuticals/ medical items, light and heavy duty vehicles, apparels and other administrative/logistics for the Sierra-Leone and Liberia during the peace keeping projects.

I arranged and over invoiced the items supplied by different companies from different countries during the crisis. It is my desire to seek the assistance of a willing foreigner to provide me with the facilities to transfer this money out of West Africa.

The balance is suspended in the African Union (AU) grand account awaiting claims from any foreign partner of my choice to receive the fund on my behalf. Now African Union (AU) is intending to pay all their outstanding balance to their contractors this year as the organization is winding up its activities since the aim of returning peace to the countries and the coast has been achieved. I would like you to provide me with your private telephone and fax including your private email address, with this information’s application for claim will be sent to you to fill and return back to the organization in pursuit of the claim legally and then be forwarded to the organization for ratification and subsequent payment

I await your immediate response.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. James Koffi,
Tel: 00 228 9 86 87 91.

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