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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: "Mohammed Jaja" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mohammedjaja@centrum.sk>
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:06:25 -0000
Subject: Dear friend


Happy new year my good friend,

I know that this letter may be a very big surprise to you, I came across your
email contact from my personal search and I instructed the doctor here in this
hospital to help me email you and I believe that you will be honest to fulfill
my final wish before I will die.

I am Mohammed Jaja from Saudi Arabia, I am 59 years old, I am deaf and
suffering from a long time cancer, which also affected my brain.
From all indication my condition is really deteriorating, and my doctors have
courageously advised me that I may not live beyond the next two months, this
is because the cancer stage has reached a critical stage. I was brought up in
a motherless baby's home, and was married to my late Wife for twenty years
without a child, quite unfortunately, she died in a fatal motor accident in Africa
when i was working in Saudi Arabia Embassy.

Since her death I decided not to re-marry, I sold all my inherited belongings
and deposited all the sum of $3.2million dollars with a BANK in Cote d'Ivoire,
when i was working in Saudi Arabia Embassy. Presently, this
money is still in the Bank, and the management just wrote me as the
Legitimate beneficiary to come forward to receive the money after keeping it
for so long or rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive
it on my behalf since I can not come over as a result of my illness, or they
get it confiscated. Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital where I have
been undergoing treatment. I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors
have told me that I have only a few months to live.

It is my last wish to see that this money is invested in any organization of
your choice and distributed each year among the charity organization, the poor
and the motherless baby's home where I come from. I want your good
humanitarian, to also use this money to fund orphanages and widows
around. I must let you know that this was a very hard decision, but I had to
take a bold step towards this issue because I have no further option. I hope
you will help see my last wishes come true.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the BANK. I
will also issue you a letter of authority, which will prove that you are the
new beneficiary of my funds. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as
I stated herein. Hope to hear from you soonest.
Awaiting your reply

Your brother,
Mohammed Jaja

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