joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Henry Coleman Esq" <hcole@divinefabltduk.net>
Reply-To: hcole33970@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:44:50 +0000
Subject: YOUR URGENT ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED


Attention Sir/Madam

I am Henry Coleman, a legal practitioner and personal attorney to lateEngineer M.N Sulak an international contractor in the oil industrybefore his untimely demise on the 27th of September 2003 United Kingdom.

Before his death, I assisted him in the deposit of some contract fundsvalued at $22 million with a bank. The funds have remained unclaimedsince his death and such unclaimed funds are appropriated and returnedto the treasury after 6 years as a matter of banking policy.Considering the lack of success in my bid to locate any of hisrelatives for over 3 years now, I here by solicit your consent toenable me present you to the bank as the beneficiary Next of Kin to mydeceased client.

I am contacting you for two reasons because I strongly believe that theBank does not deserve to confiscate the funds and these reasons led tomy resolve to contact you to claim the funds.
Know that this deal is 100% risk free because I have in my possessionthe personal file of the deceased which contains some of theinformation we shall need to prove your legal relationship with my lateclient, which means that

the fund will definitely be paid into the account of whoever I presentto the bank as his next of kin. Moreover this is a legal and risk freetransaction that does not in anyway hamper or contravene the monetarylaws of your country because it is an inheritance fund.

All I require from you is your assurance that my share of the fundsshall be held in trust for me when it is released into your account byhe bank.Be rest assured that the fund shall be released to you by thebank upon presenting all the necessary legal documents that will beused to substantiate whatever claim we make on your behalf at the bank.

On my receipt of your consenting reply, i shall give you a detailed briefing on this proceedings.

I await your immediate response.

Regards,

Coleman Esq.


Anti-fraud resources: