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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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: john.hsbc@37.com
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:47:24 -0700
Subject: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

=3CBR=3E=3CBR=3E=3CBR=3EGood day=2C =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3EI know this is an un= conventional way of introducing a big and profitable business deal=2C bu= t I however want you to take your time to read my letter carefully=2C yo= u will understand the necessity for my action=2E I got your email addres= s from the Ministry of Commerce Directory =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3EI am John Mich= ael=2C staff of International Private Banking at HSBC Bank=2E I am conta= cting you concerning a deceased customer and an investment he placed und= er our banks management three years ago=2E I would respectfully request = that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the int= egrity of the information you come by as a result of this mail=2E =3CBR=3E= =3CBR=3EI contacted you independently of our investigation and no one is= informed of this communication=2E I would like to intimate you with cer= tain facts that I believe would be of interest to you=2E In 2001=2C the = subject matter came to our bank to engage in business discussions with o= ur private banking division=2E He informed us that he had a financial po= rtfolio of Forty Eight Million Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Unite d = States Dollars (=2448=2C350=2C000=2E00 USD)=2C which he wished to have u= s turn over (invest) on his behalf=2E I was the officer assigned to his = case=3B I was made numerous suggestions in line with my duties as the de= -facto chief operations officer of the private banking sector=2C especia= lly given the volume of funds he wished to put into our bank=2E We met o= n numerous occasions prior to any investments being placed=2E I encourag= ed him to consider various growth funds with prime ratings=2E The favore= d route in my advice to customers is to start by assessing data on 6000 = traditional stocks and bond managers and 2000 managers of alternative in= vestments=2E Based on my advice=2C we spun the money around various oppo= rtunities and made attractive margins for our first months of operation=2C= the accrued profit and interest stood at this point at over ten million= United States Dollars=2C this margin was not the full potential of the = fund but he desired low risk guaranteed returns on investments=2E =3CBR=3E= =3CBR=3EIn mid 2002=2C he asked that the money be liquidated because he = needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash payments in here in t= he United Kingdom=2E He directed that I liquidate the funds and deposit = it with a security firm here in London=2E I informed him that HSBC would= have to make special arrangements to have this done and in order not to= circumvent due process=2C the bank would have to make a 9=2E5 =25 deduc= tion from the funds to cater for banking and statutory charges=2E He com= plained about the charges but later came around when I explained to him = the complexities of the task he was asking of us=2E Cash movement across= boarders has become especially strict since the incidents of 9/11=2E I = contacted my affiliate in here in London and made the funds available to= the security firm=2E I undertook all the processes and made sure I foll= owed his precise instructions to the letter and had the funds deposited = at the London based security consultancy firm=2C Corporate Securities Co= =2E Corporate Securities Co is a specialist private firm that accepts de= posits from high net worth individuals and blue chip corporations that h= andle valuable products or undertake transactions that need immediate ac= cess to cash=2E This small and highly private organization is familiar e= specially to the highly placed and well-connected organizations=2E In li= ne with Instructions=2C the money was deposited with Corporate Securitie= s Co=2E The deceased told me he wanted the money=3B there in anticipatio= n of his arrival from Norway later that week=2E This was the last commun= ication we had=2C this transpired around 25th June 2003=2E In June last = year=2C we got a call from Corporate Securities Co informing us that the= activity of that particular portfolio=2E This was an astounding positio= n as far as I was concerned=2C given the fact that I managed the private= banking sector I was the only one who knew about the deposit at Corpora= te Securities Co=2C and I could not understand why the deceased had not = come forward to claim his deposit=2E I made futile efforts to locate the= deceased=2E I immediately passed the task of locating him to the intern= al investigations department of HSBC=2E Four days later=2C information s= tarted to trickle in=2C apparently our client was dead=2E A person who s= uited his description was declared dead of a heart attack in Cannes=2C S= outh of France=2E =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3EWe were soon enough able to identify t= he body and cause of death was confirmed=2E The bank immediately launche= d an investigation into possible surviving next of kin to alert about th= e situation and also to come forward to claim his estate=2E If you are f= amiliar with private banking affairs=2C those who patronize our services= usually prefer anonymity=2C but also some levels of detachment from con= ventional processes=2E In his bio-data form=2C he listed no next of kin=2E= In the field of private banking opening an account with us means no one= will know of its existence=2C accounts are rarely held under a name=3B = depositors use numbers and codes to make the accounts anonymous=2E This = bank also gives the choice to depositors of having their mail sent to th= em or held at the bank itself=2C ensuring that there are no traces of th= e account and as I said=2C rarely do they nominate next of kin=2E =3CBR=3E= =3CBR=3EPrivate banking clients apart from not nominating next of kin al= so usually in most cases leave wills in our care=2C in this case=3B the = deceased died without a testament =2EIn line with our internal processes= for account holders who have passed away=2C we instituted our own Inves= tigations in good faith to determine who should have right to claim the = estate=2E This investigation has for the past months been unfruitful=2E = We have scanned every continent and used our private investigation affil= iate companies to get to the root of the problem=2E It is this investiga= tion that resulted in my being furnished with your details as a possible= relative of the deceased=2E My official capacity dictates that I am the= only party to supervise the investigation and the only party to receive= the results of the investigation=2E What this means=2C you being the la= st batch of names we have considered=2C is that our dear late fellow die= d with no known or identifiable family member=2E This leaves me as the o= nly person with the full picture of what the prevailing situation is in = relation to the deposit and the late beneficiary of the deposit=2E =3CBR= =3E=3CBR=3EAccording to practice=2C Corporate Securities Co will by the = end of this financial year broadcast a request for statements of claim t= o HSBC=2C failing to receive viable claims they will most probably rever= t the deposit back to HSBC=2E This will result in the money entering the= HSBC accounting system and the portfolio will be out of my hands and ou= t of the private banking division=2E This will not happen if I have my w= ay=2E What I wish to relate t o you will smack of unethical practice but= I want you to understand something=2E It is only an outsider to the ban= king world who finds the internal politics of the banking world aberrati= onal=2E =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3EThe world of private banking especially is fraug= ht with huge rewards for those who occupy certain offices and oversee ce= rtain portfolios=2E You should have begun by now to put together the gen= eral direction of what I propose=2E I alone have the deposit details and= they will release the deposit to no one unless I instruct them to do so= =2E I alone know of the existence of this deposit for as far as HSBC is = concerned=2C the transaction with our late customer concluded when I sen= t the funds to corporate securities=2C all outstanding interactions in r= elation to the file are just customer services and due process=2E Corpor= ate Securities Co has no single idea of what the history or nature of th= e deposit=2E They are simply awaiting instructions to release the deposi= t to any party that comes forward=2E This is the situation=2E This bank = has spent great amounts of money trying to track this mans family=3B the= y have investigated for months and have found no family=2E The investiga= tion has come to an end=2E My proposal=3B you share similar details to t= he late fellow=3B I am prepared to place you in a position to instruct C= orporate Securities Co to release the deposit to you as the closest surv= iving relation=2E Upon receipt of the deposit=2C I am prepared to share = the money with you in half=2E That is=3A I will simply nominate you as t= he next of kin and have them release the deposit to you=2E We share the = proceeds 50/50=2EI would have gone ahead to ask the funds=26nbsp=3B be r= eleased to me=2C but that would have drawn a straight line to me and my = involvement in claiming the deposit=2E I assure you that I could have th= e deposit released to you within a few days=2E I will simply inform the = bank of the final closing of the file relating to the deceased I will th= en officially communicate with Corporate Securities Co and instruct them= to release the deposit to you=2E With these two things=3A all is done=2E= The alternative would be for us to have Corporate Sec unities Co direct= the funds to another bank with you as account holder=2E This way there = will be no need for you to think of receiving the money from Corporate S= ecurities Co=2E We can fine-tune this based on our interactions=2E I am = aware of the consequences of this proposal=2E I ask that if you find no = interest in this project that you should discard this mail=2E I ask that= you do not be vindictive and destructive=2E If my offer is of no appeal= to you=2C delete this message and forget I ever contacted you=2E Do not= destroy my career because you do not approve of my proposal=2E =3CBR=3E= =3CBR=3EYou may not know this but people like myself who have made tidy = sums out of comparable situations run the whole private banking sector=2E= I am not a criminal and what I do=2C I do not find against good conscie= nce=2C this may be hard for you to understand=2C but the dynamics of my = industry dictates that I make this move=2E Such opportunities only come = ones=27 way once in a lifetime=2E I cannot let this chance pass me by=2C= for once I find myself in total control of my destiny=2E These chances = won=92t pass me by=2E I ask that you do not destroy my chance=2C if you = will not work with me let me know and let me move on with my life but do= not destroy me=2E I am a family man and this is an opportunity to provi= de them with new opportunities=2E There is a reward for this project and= it is a task well worth undertaking=2E I have evaluated the risks and t= he only risk I have here is from you refusing to work with me and alerti= ng my bank=2E I am the only one who knows of this situation=2C good fort= une has blessed you with a name that has planted you into the center of = relevance in my life=2E Let share the blessing=2E If you find yourself a= ble to work with me=2C contact me through this same email account=2E If = you give me positive signals=2C I will initiate this process towards a c= onclusion=2E I wish to inform you that should you contact me via officia= l channels=3B I will deny knowing you and about this project=2E I repeat= =2C I do not want you contacting me through my official phone lines nor = do I want you contacting me through my official email account=2E Contact= me only through the numbers I will provide for you and also through thi= s email address=2E I do not want any direct link between you and me=2E M= y official lines=26nbsp=3B are not secure lines as they are periodically= monitored to assess our level of customer care in line with our Total Q= uality Management Policy=2E =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3EPlease observe this instruct= ion religiously=2E Please=2C again=2C note I am a family man=2C I have a= wife and children=2E I send you this mail not without a measure of fear= as to what the consequences=2C but I know within me that nothing ventur= ed is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a= platter of gold=2E This is the one truth I have learnt from my private = banking clients=2E Do not betray my confidence=2E If we can be of one ac= cord=2C we should plan a meeting=2C soon=2EThank you so much for your ti= me=2E I look forward to hearing from you soonest=2E =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3E=3CB= R=3EI await your response=2E =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3EJohn Michael=2E =3CBR=3E=3C= BR=3EN=3AB Please reply me on this email address john=2Ehsbc1=4037=2Ecom= =3CBR=3E=3CBR=3E=3CBR=3E

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