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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: "James Carol" <jamescarol2@googlemail.com>
Reply-To: jamescarol14@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 03:23:32 -0700
Subject: Barrister James Carol,


Barrister James Carol,

Our ref. au/ret/45673/49
Your ref.................

Attn,

Re: Next of kin to my late client Eng. Adams.

I am Barrister James Carol, a solicitor at law; I am the personal
attorney to late Eng.Adams, who used to work with shell Development Company
in london. Hereinafter shall be referred to as my client. On April 25th
2005, my client, his wife and three children were involved in a train
accident in Japan during their visit to Japan which all the families were
dead. Here is some news about the train accident: Click on the web address;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/25/AR2005042500187.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4480031.stm

Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy to locate any of my
client's extended relatives, but this has also proved unsuccessful.After
several attempts to locate a member of his family, hence I contacted you. I
am contacting you to assist me repatriating the money and properties left
behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable to
the bank here this huge deposit were lodge. Particularly, the bank where the
diseased had an account valued at [12.5million dollars] has issued me a
notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated within the
next fourteen official working days.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relative for the past years,
now I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to my late client.
Since you both have the same surname and you are capable of doing this
transaction. So that the proceeds of this account valued at [12.5miilion
dollars] can be paid to you, then you and I can share the money 60% for me
and 30% for you, while 5% will be used to offset all the expenses incurred
in the course of this transaction including tax and 5% for the poor in your
country. I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up
our claims. All i require is your honest co-operation to enable us seeing
this transaction through.I guarantee that this will be executed under
legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Please get in touch with me by my email jamescarol14@yahoo.com and send the
following information to me.

Your full name

Residential address

Phone and fax numbers

It is enable us discuss further about this transaction. Looking forward to
your prompt response. Best regards to you and your family.

Thank you.
Barrister James Carol

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