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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: "Gary Woodson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <garywoodson@maktoob.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2001 00:48:54 -0800
Subject: Reply

Hello,


I am Gary Woodson the Bank Manager of CITIBANK 144 Upton Park London.


On 15th December, 2000, an Iraqi Foreign Oil consultant/contractor with the
BRITISH PETROLUEM CORPORATION MR. ABDUL SADIQUE HAMZA, made a numbered time
(Fixed deposit) for 36 calendar months, valued at US$10,500,000.00 (Ten Million
Five hundred Thousand Dollars only) in my branch. Upon maturity in 2003, I sent
a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply.


After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers, the British petroleum corporation that Mr. ABDUL SADIQUE HAMZA died as a result of bomb blast during one of his trips to his country Iraq. On further investigation, I found out that he died without making a WILL, and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless. I therefore made further investigation and discovered that ABDUL SADIQUE HAMZA did not declare any next of kin or relation in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank.


The US$10,500,000.00 has been floating as unclaimed since 2003 in my bank as all efforts to get his relatives have hit the stones. According to the British law at the expiration of 6 (six) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the British Government if nobody applies to claim the fund and the eight years is the end of December 2009.


Consequently, my proposal is that I want to seek your consent as a foreigner to stand in as the owner of the money as the next of kin to the deceased so that the bank will transfer the money to your designated account. All documents and proves to enable you get this fund will be carefully worked out. I have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries, and more so I assuring you that the business is risk free involvement. Our sharing ratio will be 40-60. I will leave London by the end of the year.


Please send me your telephone numbers for discussion of this deal in further details and would like you to reply directly through my private mail box should incase if this offer interests you garywoodson@maktoob.com

PLEASE, APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT DOING BUSINESS OVER THE INTERNET IS RISK.
ENDEAVOR TO SEND YOUR CONFIDENTIAL TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBER IN YOUR REPLY.
God Bless you.


Mr. Gary Woodson.


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