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: "Captain Douglas Lorentz" <usmcdouglaslorentza@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:32:46 -0700
Subject: I am Captain Douglas Lorentz. Please i need your urgent response


Dear Friend,
I am Captain Douglas Lorentz of the US Marine Corps (U.S.M.C.). On
Monitoring and Peace –keeping mission in Baghdad-Iraq. Three days ago, we
were alerted on the sudden presence of some Terrorists camping in a suburb
not too far from Karbala here in Iraq. After Immediate intervention, we
captured three (3) of the Terrorists; In the process of Interrogations they
confessed being rebels for late Ayman al-Zawahiri and took us to a cave in
Karbala, which served as their camp.

Here we recovered several guns and other Ammunitions including A Metallic
Box to my amazement contains some US Dollars amounting to ($2.6M) Two
Million Six hundred thousand U.S.dollars After I and two of my junior
intelligent officers checked them.
I however instructed them to keep this in high secrecy.

Every arrangement to get this box containing the money moved out of Baghdad
has been concluded by me. There is absolutely no risk involve. I am
therefore seeking for your reliable assistance to receive, safeguard this
money for me till am done with my assignment here in Iraq. I assure and
promise to give you 20% of this fund for your honesty and assistance in
safeguarding it.

I have concluded arrangement with the Red Cross Officer I met here in
Baghdad to get the Box moved out of Iraq to your destination. All you have
to do now is to send to me immediately your full contact details such as
your full name, your residential address including you private phone number
to enable him meet with you and get it delivered to you. Remember there is
not going to be any form of trace therefore you have nothing to be afraid
of. It is absolutely risk free. Please assure me of keeping this transaction
a topmost secret to protect my job with the US Monitoring and Peace-Keeping
mission.

This is a matter of urgency as you can see, therefore if you can be trusted,
get back to me for immediate action via my private mail box.(
usmarine_lorentz@yahoo.com)

Regards,
Captain Douglas Lorentz

Anti-fraud resources: