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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: "chief.dr.ken donald" <chief.dr.kendonald1@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:57:20 -0800
Subject: Dear Friend,


From:Chief. Dr. Ken Donald
Chairman of Federal And Rural Maintanance on Oil pipe Lines And Spillage In
Ferderal Republic Of Nigeria.
Phone:+2347027512512

Dear Friend,

Request For Confidential Business Relationship

First, I must solicit your confidence in this transaction. I am Chief. Dr.
Ken Donald
chairman Of Federal And Rural Maintanance on Oil Pipe Lines and spillage In
Ferderal Republic of Nigeria. I and two other colleagues are currently in
need of a silent and honest foreign partner whose identity we can use to
transfer the sum of Six Million Five Hundred Thousand U.S. dollars {USD
6.5M}. This fund accrued legitimately to us as commission from contracts,
through our private connections and contracts. The fund is presently waiting
to be remitted from Intercontinental Bank Plc here into any overseas
beneficiary confirmed by us as associate/receiver. By virtue of our
positions as civil servants in my country, we cannot acquire this money in
our names. Because as high placed civil servants, we are not allowed by the
civil service code of conduct to own or operate bank accounts outside of our
shores. On the other hand, it is not safe for us to keep the money here due
to certain government financial and economic policies and regulations
regarding public and government officials. I have been mandated as a matter
of trust by my colleagues, to look for an overseas silent partner who could
work with us to facilitate the transfer of this fund for our mutual benefit,
hence the reason for this email. What I am requesting from you is: (1) to be
our silent/honest partner and receive the funds as the sole benefactor to
the contract amount which we shall secure all legal documentation to
authenticate our claim. (2) Provide a private telephone and fax number for
easy communication under your control .(3)Receive the funds as the
beneficiary, take out your commission and keep the rest of the money until I
arrive there to meet you after the transfer is completed. My proposal is
that after you receive the funds, it would be shared as follows: (1) 15% to
you as commission for your co-operation and assistance in facilitating the
transfer, while the remaining 85% belongs to me and two colleagues. You will
be free to take out your commission immediately after the money hits your
country. Since our objective is to invest the money in a foreign country, it
would be appreciated if you could also help us with advices and direction on
investing into profitable/lucrative ventures in your country for an
additional 3%.
However, this is optional, and if it is not convenient for you to further
assist us with investing the money, we can end our cooperation after you
make available to us our part of the money.The transaction, although
discrete, is legitimate and the money will be transferred successful with
all necessary back-up official documents showing legitimate source/origin of
fund. The transfer will be affected within a period not longer than two
weeks as soon as we reach an agreement and you furnish me with a suitable
response indicating your interest for processing the transfer. I plead with
you on one issue, whether you are interested or not, kindly do not expose
this information to any one else. I confirm that the transaction is
legitimate and without any risks either to us or yourself. Please, give me
your response immediately by email.


Yours Faithfully

Chief. Dr. Ken Donald

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