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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: suleman muhammed <suleman_m03@voila.fr>
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:17:44 -0800 (PST)
Subject: URGENT RESPOND NEEDED FROM SULEMAN MUHAMMED


My Dear Good Day,
                       PLEASE URGENT ATTN.Do accept my sincere apologies if my mail does not meet your personal ethics.I am Mr SULEMAN  MUHAMMED  The manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of ocaur  Bank.
 
In my department I discovered an abandoned sum of US$8.5M, (Eight Million, Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars) with account number  is a this 14-2558-5976  that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his wife and only daughter in a plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight number 261 which crashed on January 31, 2000.
 
  The owner of this account is Mr. Morris Thompson an American and great industrialist and a resident of Alaska. It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and for our bank to release the money to you. You have to follow the instruction which I will be send to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into our bank treasury as unclaimed bill
 
The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after nine 9 years, the money will be transfered into the bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The money has now stayed more than seven to eight years and I have aready  prepared the  documentaion to prove that this money has been transfered to our bank treasury. It will be between me and you only that will know that the money is not transfered into our treasure
 
This request of foreigner as next of kin in this transaction is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and as an insider  cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner In appreciation of your assistance, I am offering you 40% of the total sum. 10% for contingencies (cost of transfer/other charges) likely to be  incurred during the course of transaction,a
 while the remaining 50% is for me.Upon receipt of your reply.
I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application which you will complete and forward to our bank asking for this money to be paid to your account  as the next of kin
 
 I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer. You should contact me immediately as soon as you recceive this mail,
1. NAME IN FULL:................................
2. ADDRESS:.......................................
3. NATIONALITY:...................................
4. AGE:.............................................
5. Sex..............................................
6. OCCUPATION:...............................
7. MARITAL STATUS:.........................
8. PHONE.......................................
9. FAX:..........................................
BEST REGARD.
MR  SULEMAN  MUHAMMED
 



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