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: "infosue37 Gazeta.pl" <infosue37@gazeta.pl>
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 01:34:37 +0200
Subject: FROM MR. SUE BERNARD STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL


FROM MR. SUE BERNARD
NO.50 BOTHA CRESCENT RD,
SADTON,JOHANNESBURG,
SOUTH AFRICA.
Tel/fax: +27 78 588 1015


Email address: suebernardsb@gmail.com ,
nardsue@exclusivemail.co.za


Strictly Confidential
Attn: MD/C.E.O,

In order to transfer out (US$26M) Twenty-six million United States Dollars)
from FNB Bank. I have the courage to ask you to look for a reliable and
honest person who will be capable for this important business believing that
you will never let me down either now or in future. I am SUE BENARD, the
Chief auditor of FNB Bank, there is an account opened in this bank in 1980
and since 1990 nobody has operated on this account again. After going
through some old files in the records, I discovered that if I do not remit
this money out urgently it would be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this
account is Mr. SMITH BERNARD ANDREAS, a foreigner, and a miner at kruger
gold co., a geologist by profession and he died since 1990. No other person
knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has no
other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that this
company does not know anything about this account and the total amount
involved is
(USD 126M) One hundred and twenty six million United States Dollars million
dollars.

I want to first transfer us$26(twenty six million United States Dollars)
from this money into a safe foreigners account abroad before the rest, but I
don't know any trustworthy foreigner. I am only contacting you as a
foreigner because this money cannot be approved to a local bank here, but
can only be approved to any foreign account because the money is in us
dollars and the owner of the account, Mr. Smith B. Andreas is a foreigner
too. I know that this message will come to you as a surprise as we don't
know ourselves before. But be informing that we will sign, an agreement as I
don't know you but still believe in your honorable self that you will not
betray me after the successful completion of this real and a genuine
transfer. I got your contact address from my secretary who operates
computer; with believe in God that you will never let me down in this
business.

However, you are the only person that I have contacted in this business; so
please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take
immediately. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the
full details of the account to be used for the deposit. I want us to meet
face to face to sign a binding agreement which will bind us together before
you could receive this money into your foreign account or any account of
your choice where the fund will be safe, I will fly to your country for
withdrawal, sharing and other investments options. I am contacting you
because of the need to involve a foreigner with foreign account and foreign
identity. I need your full co-operation to make this transfer work out
successfully because the management is ready to approve this payment to any
foreigner, who has correct information of this account, which I promise to
provide to you immediately, if you are able and assure me your capability to
handle
this project in strict confidence and trust according to my instructions
for our mutual benefit because this opportunity will never come again in my
life. Your sincerity is highly require in this business because I do not
want to a mistake that could make me loose this money, I need your strong
assurance and trust, please.

Meanwhile, be informing that, with my position now in the office I can
transfer this money to any reliable foreign account, which you could provide
with assurance that this money will be intact pending my physical arrival in
your country for sharing. I will destroy all documents of transaction
immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place. You can
also come to discuss with me face to face after which I will make this
remittance in your presence, two of us will fly to your country at least two
days ahead of the transfer. Also, I will apply for annual leave to get visa
immediately I hear from you that you are ready to act and receive this fund
in your account. Further, I will use my position and influence to effect
legal approvals and onward transfer of this money to your bank account with
appropriate clearance documents from the ministries and foreign exchange
departments.

Finally, at the conclusion of this business, you will be given 35% of the
total amount, 60% will be for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties
might have incurred during the process of transferring.

I look forward to your earliest reply.

Best regards

Sue Bernard

Anti-fraud resources: