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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: =?utf-8?q?Michael=20Scott?= <m_scott1956@yahoo.com.co>
Reply-To: michaelscott60@live.com
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:59:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Mutual Business Partnership


¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!Ahora puedes escribirme a:m_scott1956@yahoo.com.co

Dear Sir/Ma,

- This is a personal email directed to you and I request that it be treated as such.I must solicit your confidentiality and assure you that I am contacting you in good faith and this proposal will be of mutual benefit. I am Michael Scott , a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney/sole executor to the late Mr. Robert Woodall, hereinafter referred tos my client¢ who worked as an independent oil magnate in my country and who died in a car crash with his immediate family in east London on the 5th of November 2000. My late client a former Sub-Comptroller working with Chevron Texaco Oil here in the United Kingdom and had left behind a deposit of Nine Million Eight Hundred Thousand British Pounds Sterling (£9.8million pounds) with a finance company. After the death of my client, the finance company contacted me, as his attorney to provide his next of kin who should inherit his fortune this according to them is their policy in such circumstances. I have written several letters to the embassy with intent to locate any of his extended relatives whom shall be claimants/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate and all such efforts have been to no avail. I had to inform the finance company about my fruitless effort in locating my late client close relative or his next of kin. The board of directors of the company just adopted a resolution and I was mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money within the next 15 official working days or forfeit the money as an abandoned funds. The company had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of the company to confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given me. I have reasoned very professionally and I can use a legal means to present a next of kin of my deceased client. This is legally possible and would be done in accordance with the laws of the land. On this note I decided to search for a credible person and after going through your profile on the internet, I was urged to contact you, that I may, with your consent, present you to the "trustee" as my late client's family member so as to enable you put up a claim to the Finance Company in that capacity as a next of kin of my client. My conditions: 1. The sum of £9.8million pounds only will be released to you after the processing of all relevant legal documents with your name as the beneficiary. 2. This deal must be kept secret forever, and all correspondence will be strictly by email/telephone, for security purposes. 3. There should be no third parties as most problems associated with this kind of claims are usually caused by agents or representative. I sincerely sympathize the death of my client but I think it is unprofitable for his funds to be submitted to the government of this country or some financial institution. My aim is to retrieve this fund and then both of us can share the money, 50% to me and 50% to you. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this proposal is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the completion of this transaction. Like I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this. Please get in touch with me by my alternative email: mr_mscott01@hotmail.com for better confidentiality and send to me your telephone and fax numbers to enable us discuss further on this transaction. My contact numbers are +447011153020. If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you. Thanks for your understanding. Regards. Michael Scott (Esq.)


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