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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: "Barr. Julius Chika" <juliuschika@unimail.mn>
Reply-To: jjchika_lawchambers@yahoo.it
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:11:36 +0100
Subject: From Julius A. Chika: Next of Kin Assistance Needed.


JULIUS CHIKA & ASSOCIATES
SOLICITORS AND ADVOCATE
#13 COLLEGE ROAD, OGBA, IKEJA, LAGOS,
NIGERIA.

OUR REF:NOK/INH/NOK/08
YOUR REF:................................

Attn Please,

I am very much obliged and compelled to write this letter to you. Honestly,
my purpose here is to establish a fact of relationship as next of kin/estate
beneficiary of my late client, Mr. Edward Genereaux, a foreign national who
worked as a petrochemical consultant to the federal government and other oil
companies and agencies. He is known and reffered to here, as my client.

On the 21st of August 2005, my client, his wife and their three children
were involved in a boat mishap in the creeks of Escravos, an island town in
the oil rich Niger Delta region, where he was on a petroleum
exploration/supervision contract for the NNPC. Unfortunately all the entire
family lost their lives in the tragedy. Since then, I have made several
enquires to locate any of my clients' extended relatives but all my efforts
proved unsuccesful. After these unsuccessful attempts failed, I decided to
contact you.

Now my contact to you is to assist me in REPATRIATING THE MONEY IN HIS BANK
ACCOUNT HERE before the boat mishap, to avoid the money being confiscated or
declared unserviceable by the bank. He left a closing balance of US$14.3m.
More importantly, the bank (Guaranty Trust Bank of Nigeria Plc.) has served
me a writ of notice to provide the NEXT OF KIN of my client, or the money
will be coverted to be the bank's property after the expiration of their set
deadline.

Since I have tried and failed on several occassions in locating his
relatives, I am now seeking your consent to present you as the Next of Kin
of the deceassed, so that the money in his account will be paid to you,
while I will come over to your country for the sharing. I have proposed take
60% while you will take 35%, and 5% will be used to pay back all expenses we
will incur. I have all the necessary legal documents that can be use to back
up the claim we will make. All I require is your honest cooperation to
enable us see this deal through. 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 immediately for details of what is to be done.

Best Regards.

Julius Chika Esq.

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