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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 <michelguei@ugramail.ru>
Reply-To: jamesedward@cantv.net
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:25:04 +0600
Subject: DEAR ONE,

DEAR ONE,

MY NAME IS JAMES EDWARD,NATIONALITY SIERRA LEONE. I AM 20 YEARS OLD I LOST
MY FATHER,HE WAS A WELL KNOWN BUSINESS MAN HERE IN ABIDJAN COTE'DIVORE
BEFORE HIS DEATH,HE WAS POISONED BY HIS BUSINESS ASSOCIATES DURING ONE OF
THIER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES MEETING IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THIS COUNTRY.

RIGHT NOW I'M PRESENTLY IN ABIDJAN,COTE D'IVOIRE AS REFUGEE(ASYLUM
SEEKERS)IT INTEREST ME TO WRITE YOU FROM MY HEART HOPING THAT YOU WILL NOT
BETRAY ME.

MY FATHER DEPOSITED SOME HUGE SOME OF MONEY IN ONE OF THE BANKS HERE IN
ABIDJAN WHEN HE WAS ALIFE AS THE PROFITS HE MADE FROM HIS
BUSINESS,ACCORDING TO HIM HE SAID THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THIS MONEY THAT HE
WAS POISONED.

INFACT IN A BREAF INTRODUTION ALL THE INFORMATION WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU WHEN
I HEAR FROM YOU, (THE NAME OF THE
BANK AND ALL THE DEPOSIT DOCUMENTS) AS WAS GIVEN TO ME BY MY FATHER ON HIS
BED SIDE BEFORE HE GAVE UP.

HE TOLD ME TO ARRANGE WITH ANY GOD FEARING FOREIGNER WHO WILL HELP ME TO
RECEIVE THIS MONEY IN HIS BANK ACCOUNT TO ENABLE ME GET OUT OF THIS
COUNTRY BEFORE HIS ENEMIES KILL
ME.

THIS MONEY TOTALING 3.5MILLION EUROS( THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDREND THOUSAND
EUROS).HOWEVER, WHAT I NEEDED FROM YOU IS YOUR GOOD ASSISTANCE IN HELPING
ME TRANSFERRING THE SAID SUM TO YOUR ACCOUNT SINCE I AM INEXPERIENCED IN
THE WORLD OF BUSINESS.

TREAT ME LIKE YOUR OWN CHILD THAT'S THE REASON WHY I AM ASKING FOR YOUR
SUPPORT.

THIS COUNTRY IS NO LONGER ONDUSIVE FOR ME TO STAY.

BEST REGARDS
JAMES EDWARD

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