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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: David Thorburn <heatherw2@activ8.net.au>
Reply-To: davidthorburn59@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:58:47 +1100
Subject: Hello

David Thorburn
Chief Operating Officer,
Clydesdale Bank
davidthorburn16@yahoo.com.hk

Greetings,

I am David Thorburn Chief Operating Officer, Clydesdale Bank. I am getting in
touch with you regarding the estate of a deceased client with similar
last name
and an investment he placed under our banks management 8 years ago.

I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail
confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by as a
result of this mail. I contact you independently and no one is
informed of this
communication.

In mid 2001, he asked that the money be liquidated because he needed
to make an
urgent investment requiring cash payments in here in the United Kingdom. He
directed that I liquidate the funds and deposit it with a security firm. I
informed him that Clydesdale Bank would have to make special arrangements to
have this done and in order not to circumvent due process, the bank would have
to make a 9.5 % deduction from the funds to cater for banking and statutory
charges.

He complained about the charges but later came around when I explained
to him the complexities of the task he was asking of us. Cash movement across
boarders has become especially strict since the incidents of 9/11. I contacted
my affiliate and made the funds available to the security firm. I
undertook all
the processes and made sure I followed his precise instructions to the letter
and had the funds deposited with the security firm. The Security Firm is a
specialist private firm that accepts deposits from high net worth individuals
and blue chip corporations that handle valuable products or undertake
transactions that need immediate access to cash. This small and highly private
organization is familiar especially to the highly placed and well-connected
organizations. In line with instructions, the money was deposited with the
security firm.

However Security firm got in touch with us last year that this money has not
been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Anthony Died of a heart
attack in Cannes, South of France, which means he died intestate. He has no
next of kin.

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will be
made the beneficiary of these funds. My bank will contact you informing you
that money has been willed to you. On verification, which will be the
details I
make available to my bank, my bank will instruct the headquarters to make
payments to you. You do not have to have known him. I know this might be a bit
heavy for you but please trust me on this. For all your troubles I
propose that
we split the money in half. In the banking circle this happens every time. The
other option is that the money will revert back to the state.

Nobody is getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold the KEY
to these funds, and as a British National we see so much cash and funds being
re-assigned daily.

I would want us to keep communication for now strictly by email Please, again,
note I am a family man; I have a wife and children. I send you this mail not
without a measure of fear as to the consequences, but I know within me that
nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy
or on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I have learned from my private
banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we casn be of one accord, we
should act swiftly on this. Please pardon my writing mistakes.

Please get back to me immediately.

davidthorburn16@yahoo.com.hk

I await your response.

David Thorburn.

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