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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: "BARR. DANIEL WILSON ESQ." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <barrwdaniel1980@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 11:42:46 +0100
Subject: LATE MR. FRANK TERRY'S PHILANTHROPIC ESTATE.

DANIEL WILSON'S LAW CHAMBERS
LEGAL PRACTITIONERS AND PRIVATE LAWYER
6 NOEL STREET
LONDON, W1F 8GJ
UNITED KINGDOM
Email: barrwdaniel1980@yahoo.com

LATE MR. FRANK TERRY'S PHILANTHROPIC ESTATE.

Hello Winner,

My name is Mr. Daniel Wilson, I am a native of England,and president in the Chambers Daniel Wilson's Law Chambers here in London United Kingdom.

I am a legal practitioner, called to the U.K Bar in 1980.I used to be the personal Attorney to the late Mr. Frank Terry.

Mr. Frank Terry was a great philanthropist before death; before he died, he made a philanthropic will of Five Million Dollars(US$5,000,000.00) which was meant to be donated to charity organizations in Africa to support African children living with HIV.
We conducted a random draw in our chambers today,and your email address was picked as the beneficiary to this philanthropic fund of $5m.

It is our great desire to claim this fund so that it can be used for the purpose for which
it is meant,because the bank where the money is currently deposited has instructed that we produce the beneficiary of this fund within 14 days else the money will be confiscated to the Government's treasury as unclaimed funds.

You have to get back to me immediately so that we can begin the process of transferring the fund into any of your designated bank accounts.

As soon as I receive your reply message I shall give you further information on the process.

Please note that this transaction is 100% legitimate,and extra measures have been taken to ensure that it is absolutely free from any breach of the law,so you have nothing to worry about.

With your full co-operation, this transaction shall be concluded within 7 days, and after the funds have been transferred into your account, you shall keep 50% of the money ($2.5m) to yourself as the beneficiary, donate 40% to any Charity Organization of
your choice, while the balance of 10% comes to me as your acting attorney in this transaction.

Also, this transaction is highly confidential and should remain as such until the funds must have been transferred into your account, so do not discuss this transaction with ANYBODY.

I wait to hear back from you immediately, so that I cangive you all the necessary information needed to proceed,and don't forget to include your name and location in your response.

Congratulations once again.

Barrister Daniel Wilson (Esq.)

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