joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: Roberto Carlos Varez <varezroberto@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 08:03:36 +0000
Subject: soldier's ask for help against insurgent in Iraq

Dear Friend,

My name is Roberto Carlos Varez I am a soldier with spanish
background, serving in the military with the 12 Mechanized Brigade,
the largest unit in the army's with a very desperate need for
assistance, I have summed up courage to contact you since l found your
contact particulars in an
address journal.

I am seeking your kind assistance to move the sum of (US$5,600,000.00)
Five Million Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars to you,aAs
far as I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care until
I complete my service here, this is no stolen money, and there is no
danger involved. Source of money: Some of our Troops found $100million
and 90million Euros in 31 containers,all this money in various
currencies was discovered in barrels at a farmhouse near one of
Saddam's old palaces in Tikrit-Iraq during a rescue operation, and
staff Sgt Kenneth Buff and I that some part of this money be shared
among both of us before informing anybody about it since both of us
saw the money first, we agreed,this was quite an illegal thing to do,
but I tell you what? No compensation can make up for the risk we have
taken with our lives in this hellhole
of which a roadside bomb killed my brother in-law last week.

You will find the story of this money on the web address below

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

The above figure was given to me as my share, and to conceal this kind
of money became a problem for me, so with the help of a British
contact working here and his office enjoy some immunity, I was able to
get the package out to a safe location entirely out of trouble spot.
He does not know the real contents of the package, and believes that
it belongs to a British / American medical doctor who died in a raid
here in Iraq, I have now found a much secured way of getting the
package out of Iraq to your country for you to pick up, and I will
discuss this with you when I am sure that you are willing to assist
me.

I want you to tell me how many percent you will like to get from this
money for the assistance you will give to me. One passionate appeal I
will make to you is not to discuss this matter with anybody, should
you have reasons to reject this offer, please and please destroy this
message as any leakage of this information will be too bad for us
soldier's here in Iraq. I do not know how long we will remain here,
and I have been shot, wounded and survived two suicide bomb attacks by
the special grace of God, this and other reasons I will mention later
has prompted me to reach out for help, I honestly want this matter to
be resolved immediately, please contact me as soon as possible as my
only means of communication is through email since you cannot call me
because of heavy military monitoring here.

Sgt. Roberto Varez

Anti-fraud resources: