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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: "OFFICE" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <fbi.org3@sify.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 08:33:21 -0700
Subject: FBI OFFICE////////// OUR NEW YEAR ADVICE

Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
FBI Headquarters, J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
Attension:FUND BENEFICIARY,
 
This is an official advise from the FBI foreign Remittance/telegraphic department. It has come to our notice that the Central
 
Bank of Nigeria has released 10,500,000.00 US dollars into bank of America in your name as the beneficiary being for overdue
 
contract payment.
 
The Central Bank of Nigeria knowing fully well that they do not have enough facilities to effect this payment to your
 
account, so they used what is known as secret diplomatic transit payment (S.T.D.P) to pay this fund through wire transfer in
 
order to complete this payment. They are still waiting for confirmation from you on the available Transferred funds which
 
were made in direct transfer so that they can do final crediting to your account. Records which we have with this method of
 
payment in the past has always been related to terrorist acts, we do not want you to get into trouble as soon as these funds
 
reflect in your account in the U.S.A. So it is our duty as a worldwide commission to correct this little problem before this
 
fund will be credited into your personal account. Due to the increased difficulty and unnecessary security by the American
 
authorities when funds come from Europe and the Middle East, the FBI bank commission stopped the transfer on its way to
 
deliver
 
We have decided to contact you directly to acquire the proper Verifications and proof from you to show that you are the
 
rightful person to receive this fund, because of the amount involve. Note that the fund is in your name with BANK OF AMERICA,
 
but we ask them not to credit the fund to you yet, because we need a solid proof and Verifications from you before releasing
 
the funds. In this regards, you are to re-assure and proof to us that what you are about to receive is a clean money by
 
sending to us Diplomatic Immunity Seal Of Transfer (DIST) to satisfy to us that the money you are about to receive is
 
legitimate. You are to forward the document to us immediately if you have it in your possession, if you don't have it let us
 
know so that we will direct and inform you where to obtain the document and send to us so that we would ask Bank Of America
 
to go ahead and release the money to you without any further delay. These Document is to be iss! ued to you from the fund
 
originati
 
An FBI Identification Record and Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer (DIST) often referred to as a Criminal History. Record
 
or Rap Sheet is a listing of certain information taken from fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in connection with
 
arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization, or military service. These Condition Is Valid until 20th
 
of JAN, 2010. After that, we shall take actions on Canceling the payment and then charge you for illegal funds transfer from
 
Nigerian government.
 
GUARANTEE: funds will be released on confirmation of the document.
 
1. Credit payment instruction: irrevocable credit guarantee.
2. Beneficiary has full power when validation is cleared.
3. Beneficiaries bank in U.S.A., can only release funds.
4. Upon confirmation from the world bank / united nations.
5. Bearers must clear bank protocol and validation request.
 
NOTE: We have asked for the above documents to make available the most complete and up-to date records possible for the
 
enhancement of public safety, welfare and security of Society while recognizing the importance of individual privacy rights..
 
If you fail to provide the Documents to us, we will charge you with the FBI and take our proper action against you for not
 
proofing to us the legitimate of the fund you are about to receive. The United States Department of Justice Order 556-73
 
establishes rules and regulations for the subject of an FBI Identification Record to obtain a copy of his or her own Record
 
for review. The FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division processes these requests to check illegal
 
activities in U.S.A
 
We await for your prompt response.
 
Regards,
Robert Mueller, III
FBI Director
 

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