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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: "Mr. Michael Taylor" <mtaylor_081@live.com>
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:31:54 +0000
Subject: Greetings to you and your family!

My Dear Friend,
Greetings to you and your family! I know this mail will come to you as
a surprise. I am Mr. Michael Taylor, son of former Liberian president,
Charles Taylor. My family and I are in exile over my father's war
crimes with the Liberian government while my father is facing a trial
by international court of justice, the Hague, Netherlands.

I have ($50,000,000.00 USD) all in 100.00 dollar bills in a safe
Security Company that was deposited as Family valuables which my
father has asked me to take care of and know that the diplmat does not
know the contains of the box, I want to ship this fund to your country
through a diplomat as my job is to find a good partner that we can
trust and that will assist us; Can I trust you? When you receive this
letter, kindly send me an e-mail signifying your interest including
your most confidential telephone/fax numbers and your home address
where the consignment will be deliver across to you for quick
communication also your contact details.

My aim of bringing this fund to your country is for safety and
investment purposes in a real estate business which will profit both
of us. All I need is your assistance and trust so that you will help
me clear this fund and receive it when the diplomat arrives in your
country.I have set aside 40% of this fund for you while 60% will be
kept for me until i come over. Let me know your mind and please treat
this information as very confidential.

Yours sincerely,
Mr. Michael Taylo

Anti-fraud resources: