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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: "PAUL ANDERSON" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <paulanderson62@aim.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 21:02:49 +0200
Subject: URGENT & CONFIDENTIAL!!!

>From Mr.Paul Anderson ,

How are you today and your family? I hope all is good, kindly pay attention and
understand my aim of communicating you today through this letter, my name is Mr.
Mark Andrews, Regional Managing Director Nat West Bank, East Anglia and Northern
Home Counties London. I have decided to seek a confidential co-operation with
you in the execution of the deal described here-under for our both mutual
benefit and hope you will keep it a top secret because of the nature of the
transaction, During the course of our bank year auditing, I discovered an
unclaimed/abandoned fund, sum total of US$12,500,000.00 (Twelve Million Five
Hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only) in an account that belongs to one
of our foreign customers (Late Mr. Thompson Morrison) an American who
unfortunately lost his life and family, in the plane crash of Alaska Airlines
Flight 261 which crashed on January 31st, 2000.


Now our bank has been waiting for any of the relatives to come-up for the claim
but nobody has done that. I personally has been unsuccessful in locating any of
the relatives for 4 years now, I sincerely seek your consent to present you as
the next of kin / Will Beneficiary to the deceased so that the proceeds of this
account valued at {US$12,500,000.00} can be paid to you, which we will share in
these percentages ratio, 60% to me and 40% to you.


All that I require from you is your sincere co-operation; trust and utmost
confidentiality to enable us conduct this transaction successfully. I assured
you that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that
will protect you from any breach of the law both in your country and in
London once the fund is transferred to your bank account. Upon your
consideration and acceptance of this offer, please proceed immediately and send
to me the following information.


-Your Full Name,
-Your Contact Address &
-Your direct Mobile telephone Number.


This information will enable me to upload your data into our bank database to
reflect in the bank network system that you are the named next of kin/will
beneficiary of this fund and I will guide you on how to open communication with
the bank and make the claims for onward transfer of the fund to you, please note
that we have few days to carry out this deal, Your kind rapid response through
my personal email: paulanderson62@aim.com will be highly appreciated.


Thanking you in anticipation for your response.


Regards,
Mr. Paul Anderson
Regional Managing Director,
NatWest Bank Plc .


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