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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: "monica andrew" <monica.andrew10@gmail.com>
Reply-To: monica_andrew01@hotmail.fr
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:39:33 +0000
Subject: PLEASE REPLY ME IMMEDIATELY


FROM THE DESK OF MRS MONICA ANDREW
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA-(BOA)
OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO.

CONFIDENTIAL.

Dear Friend ,

Iam the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance departmentof
Bank Of Africa.(BOA) I am writing following the impressiveinformation about
you through one of my friends who runs a consultancyfirm in your country. He
assured me of your capability and reliabilityto champion this business
opportunity. In my department we discovered anabandoned sum of $ 15.200 000
US dollars (million US dollars) . In anaccount that belongs to one of our
foreign customer who died along withhis entire family in November 2000 in a
plane crash.

Since we gotinformation about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin tocome over and claim his money because we cannot release it
unlesssomebody applies for as next of kin or relation to the deceased
asindicated in our banking guidelines but unfortunately we learnt that all
his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at theplane
crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is thereforeupon this discovery that I and other officials in my
department nowdecided to make this business proposal to you and release the
money toyou as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety
andsubsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don't
wantthis money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill.

TheBanking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money
remainedunclaimed after Six to Seven years, the money will be transferred
intothe Bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The request of foreigner as next
ofkin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was
aforeigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to aforeigner.

We agree that 30 % of this money will be for you asforeign partner, in
respect to the provision of a foreign account,10%will be set aside for
expenses incurred during the business and 60%would be for ;me and my
colleagues. There after and my colleagues willvisit your country for
disbursement according to the percentagesindicated.

Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged,
you must apply first to the bank as relationsor next of kin of the deceased
indicating your bank name, your bankaccount number, your private telephone
and fax number for easy andeffective communication and location where in the
money will be remitted.Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax
or email the textof the application.

I will not fail to bring to your notice thatthis transaction is hitch free
and that you should no entertain any atomof fear as all required
arrangements have been made for the transfer .You should contact me
immediately as soon as you receive this letter.

Trusting to hear from you immediately.
yours faithfully
MRS MONICA ANDREW
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA-(BOA)

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