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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: "Mrs Sombo Pujeh" <mrs.pujeh5@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:29:22 -0600
Subject: Good Day.


Good Day.


I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this message may cause you.

I am Mrs. Pujeh A. Sombo, the wife of Sierra Leone former minister for
energy and mineral resources who is presently in detention due to charges
for misappropriation of funds.

As a result of this charges, the Government has frozen all our family
account and auctioned all our properties in effort to recover the said funds
and further traces are still going on. In order to save my family from total
bankruptcy I plead with you to assist my family to claim the sum of
$18.3Million. My husband deposited this money in a private Security Volt
located outside our country.

I was able to escape out of Sierra Leone through the assistance of some
officials who were recruited in office by my husband.This escape was
necessary for me because the Government is making plans to arrest me for
further interrogation. I ran down to Accra - Ghana with my children and I
came along with all the documents covering this deposited money. I have
opened discussion with a lawyer who will process every legal documents we
need to achieve this transaction within the shortest period of time.

I am ready to offer you 20% of the total sum if you are willing to help my
family secure this money in your Country. Please, this money is the only
hope left for my family and I want it moved to your country fast before the
Government agents arrives Ghana to search me out. I hope to leave Ghana and
immigrate to your country as soon as the money is moved to your country.

Hope to read from you soon.

Thanks.

Sincerely
Mrs. Pujeh Sombo

Anti-fraud resources: