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: "SGT. HARRISON JOHNSON" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <harrison@lambaba.info>
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:15:03 -0800
Subject: HELP NEEDED




SGT. HARRISON JOHNSON

READ CAREFULLY AND REPLY URGENT.

I APOLOGIZE IF THE CONTENTS HERE UNDER ARE CONTRARY TO YOUR MORAL ETHICS, BUT PLEASE TREAT IT WITH ABSOLUTE CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL COURTESY. KNOWING THAT
ALL RELATIONSHIPS YOU SEE TODAY START AS STRANGERS AT FIRST POINT OF CONTACT TO BE FRIENDS AND LATER TO FAMILIES.

HOWEVER MY NAME IS (SGT..) HARRISON JOHNSON; I AM AN AMERICAN SOLDIER, SERVING IN THE MILITARY WITH THE ARMYÂ’S 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION. WITH A VERY DESPERATE NEED FOR
ASSISTANCE, I HAVE SUMMED UP COURAGE TO CONTACT YOU IN RESPECT TO THIS ISSUE.
I AM SOLICITING YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE FOR A MUTUAL BENEFIT TO MOVE SOME FUND OUT HERE TO YOUR CARE, THE SUM OF ($16 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS) SIXTEEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS TO
YOU IN UNITED STATES, AS FAR AS I CAN BE REST ASSURED THAT MY SHARE WILL BE SAFE IN YOUR CARE ON MY RETURN.

SOURCE OF MONEY:

SOME MONEY IN VARIOUS CURRENCIES WERE DISCOVERED IN BARRELS AT A FARMHOUSE NEAR ONE OF SADDAMÂ’S FOLLOWERS IN TIKRIT-IRAQ DURING A RESCUE OPERATION LAST WEEK,
IT WAS AGREED TO KEEP SOME AMOUNT ASIDE BY STAFF SGT KENNETH BUFF, WILSON HOGGE AND I THAT SOME PART OF THIS MONEY BE SHARED AMONG US BEFORE INFORMING ANYBODY ABOUT IT, SINCE THREE OF US SAW THE MONEY FIRST.

NEVER MIND THAT THIS WAS QUITE AN ILLEGAL THING TO DO, BUT I TELL YOU WHAT? NO COMPENSATION WILL MAKE UP FOR THE RISK WE HAVE TAKEN WITH OUR LIVES IN THIS HELL HOLE. OF WHICH MY ARMY FRIEND WAS KILLED BY A ROAD SIDE BOMB WITHOUT PART OF HIS BODY TO BE BURIED LAST WEEK ATTACK. NOTE THAT 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 JOURNALIST I HAVE MOVED THE TRUCK BOXES TO A
DIPLOMATIC COURIER SERVICES NAME SCARLET DIPLOMATIC COURIER SERVICE HERE. WITH SOME DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY TO MOVE WITH THE CONSIGNMENTS HOME, THIS MEANS THAT THE JOURNALIST AND I WAS ABLE TO GET THE PACKAGE OUT TO A SAFE LOCATION ENTIRELY OUT OF TROUBLE SPOT.

WITHOUT THE ACKNOWLEDGE OF THE OFFICE THE REAL CONTENTS OF THE PACKAGE, AND BELIEVES THAT THE CONSIGNMENTS BELONGINGS TO A BRITISH/AMERICAN MEDICAL DOCTOR
SOLDIER WHO DIED IN A RAID HERE IN IRAQ, AND BEFORE GIVING UP, TRUSTED ME WITH FAMILY INFORMATION TO HAND OVER HIS BELONGINGS TO IF ANY THING HAPPEN TO HIM
HERE, SO YOU ARE TO RECEIVE PACKAGE AS HIS RELATIONSHIP, YOU ARE TO RECEIVE THE PACKAGE AS MEMBER OF HIS FAMILY IN UNITED STATES.

SINCE I HAVE NOW FOUND A VERY SECURED WAY OF GETTING THE PACKAGE OUT OF IRAQ TO YOU AT HOME FOR YOU TO PICK UP, IF YOU CAN BE PART OF THE FORTUNE I SHALL DISCUSS THIS WITH YOU WHEN I AM SURE THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO ASSIST ME, AND I BELIEVE THAT MY MONEY WILL BE WELL SECURED IN YOUR HAND BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE FEAR OF GOD RESPECT FOR THE HERO OF YOUR LAND.

I WANT YOU TO LET ME KNOW IN YOUR MAIL BACK TO INDICATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH ME ALSO HOW MUCH WILL ENOUGH FOR YOUR COMPENSATION FROM THIS MONEY FOR
THE ASSISTANCE YOU WILL BE GIVEN TO ME. BUT 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 SOLDIERÂ’S HERE IN IRAQ. I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG WE WILL REMAIN HERE;

LAST MONTH WAS THE DEADLIEST MONTH FOR US OUT HERE. WE LOST 127 MEN 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 FURTHER
CORRESPONDENCES TO ME
GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
SGT. HARRISON JOHNSON



Anti-fraud resources: