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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: "Joseph Clark" <josephclark074@gazeta.pl>
Reply-To: mrjclark@sify.com
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 12:14:57 -0700
Subject: Mutual Business Proposal


88,Woolworth Rd
SE1 7AA,
London England
mr_jclark@sify.com
+447035901690

01/07/2008


Dear Sir/Madam

This is a personal email directed to you and I request that it be treated as
such. I must solicit your confidentiality and assure you that I am
contacting
you in good faith and this proposal will be of mutual benefit. I am Joseph
Clark, a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney/sole executor to the
late
Mr. Robert Woodall, hereinafter referred to as my client¢ who worked as an
independent oil magnate in my country and who died in a car crash with his
immediate family in east London on the 5th of November 2000.

My late client a former Sub-Comptroller working with Chevron Texaco Oil here
in the United Kingdom and had left behind a deposit of Nine Million Eight
Hundred Thousand British Pounds Sterling (9.8million pounds) with a finance
company.After the death of my client, the finance company contacted me, as
his attorney to provide his next of kin who should inherit his fortune this
according to them is their policy in such circumstances.

I have written several letters to the embassy with 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. I had to inform
the
finance company about my fruitless effort in locating my late client close
relative or his next of kin. The board of directors of the company just
adopted
a resolution and I was mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment
of
this money within the next 15 official working days or forfeit the money as
an
abandoned funds.

The company had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of the
company to confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given me.
I have reasoned very professionally and I can use a legal means to present
a next of kin of my deceased client.

This 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 after going
through your profile on the internet, I was urged to contact you, that I
may,
with your consent, present you to the "trustee" as my late client's family
member so as to enable you put up a claim to the Finance Company in that
capacity as a next of kin of my client.

My conditions:
1. The sum of 9.8million pounds only will be released to you after the
processing of all relevant legal documents with your name as the
beneficiary.

2. This deal must be kept secret forever, and all correspondence will be
strictly by email/telephone, for security purposes.

3. There should be no third parties as most problems associated with this
kind
of claims are usually caused by agents or representative.

I sincerely sympathize the death of my client but I think it is unprofitable
for his funds to be submitted to the government of this country or some
financial institution. My aim is to retrieve this fund and then both of us
can
share the money, 50% to me and 50% to you.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that
will
protect you from any breach of law. 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
transaction.

Like I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this. Please get in
touch with me by my alternative
email:mr_jclark@sify.com<email%3Amr_jclark@sify.com>for better
confidentiality and send to me your telephone and fax numbers to enable us
discuss further on this transaction.

My contact numbers are +447035901690

If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage of the
trust
I have bestowed in you.

Thanks for your understanding.

Regards.

Joseph Clark (Esq.)

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