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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: "United Nation" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <ban_k-imoon10@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 09:06:32 -0800
Subject: COMPENSATION- REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 06657.

UNITED NATIONS HEAD QUATERS
United Nations Plaza,
27th Floor, New York, NY 10017
Fax: (240)-844-6061
 
 
SCAMMED VICTIM/ Three Million Five Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars COMPENSATION- REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 06657.
 
Attn: Beneficiary
 
THE U.S PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS
IN THEUNITED NATIONS 2010 COMPENSATION PROGRAM AUTHORIZED THE
COMPENSATION OF ONE HUNDRED INTERNET FRAUD VICTIMS THE SUM OF
THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS EACH,
YOU HAVE BEEN LISTED AND APPROVED FOR THIS PAYMENT AS ONE OF THE SCAMMED
VICTIMS AS CONFESSED BY ONE OF THE SWINDLERS WHO WAS APPREHENDED BY
THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, GET BACK TO US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR
THE IMMEDIATEPAYMENT OF YOUR THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND
UNITED STATES DOLLARS COMPENSATIONS FUNDS.
 
 
FURTHERMORE WE WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR NOTICE THAT DURING
THE LAST UN MEETING HELD AT NEW YORK, THE ISSUE OF LOSS OF FUNDS
BY VARIOUS FOREIGNERS TO THE SCAMS ARTISTS OPERATING IN SYNDICATES ALL OVER
THE WORLD TODAY HAD AN ALARMING RESPONSE CONFIRMING A HIGH RATE
OF INTERNET FRAUD ACTIVITIES. IN OTHER TO RETAIN THE GOOD IMAGE
OF EACH COUNTRY REPRESENTED AT THE UN MEETING,
 
 
 
THE PRESIDENT OF SOME OF THE COUNTRIES WHO'S CITIZENS WERE INVOLVED
IN THESE INTERNET ACTIVITIES (WHICH INCLUDES SOUTH AFRICA , DUBAI AND NIGERIA)
ARE NOW PAYING 100 VICTIMS OF THIS OPERATORS THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS EACH. DUE TO THE CORRUPT AND
INEFFICIENT BANKING SYSTEMS IN THE LISTED COUNTRIES, THE PAYMENTS ARE
TO BE MADE BY UNITED NATIONS UNDER FUNDING ASSISTANCE
OF THE BARCLAYS BANK PLC UK. ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS AT HAND,
 
 
84 BENEFICIARIES HAVE BEEN PAID, OF WHICH A MAJORITY OF THE SCAMMED VICTIMS
ORIGINATE FROM THE UNITED STATES AND ASIA, WE STILL HAVE 16 MORE INTERNET FRAUD
VICTIMS LEFT TO BE PAID THE COMPENSATIONS OF THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED
THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS EACH ONLY.
 
 
YOUR PARTICULARS WAS MENTIONED BY ONE OF THE SYNDICATES WHO WAS ARRESTED
IN NIGERIA AS ONE OF THEIR VICTIMS OF THEIR OPERATIONS, YOU ARE HEREBY WARNED NOT
TO COMMUNICATE OR DUPLICATE THIS MESSAGE TO HIM FOR ANY REASON FOR WHATSOEVER,
THE US SECRET SERVICE
IS ALREADY ON TRACE OF THE REST OF THE CRIMINALS ASSOCIATED WITH HIM.
 
 
WE HAVE CONFIRMED FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI) CONCERNING
THIS ISSUE AND THEY INDICATED TO US THAT SEVERAL FRAUDULENT ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE
TO EXTORT MONEY FROM YOU ALL IN THE NAME OF GIVING YOU FUNDS. FOR MORE VITAL
INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE
YOUR RESPONSE WE WOULD MAKE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS TO ENSURE THAT YOUR
FUNDS ARE SWIFTLY TRANSFERRED TO YOU WITHOUT DELAYS.
 
 
WE ARE ALSO WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION TO
SEE TO IT THAT THIS IMPOSTER'S RE BROUGHT TO BOOK. YOUR RESPONSE IS HIGHLY REQUIRED
TO ENABLE US MATERIALIZE THE PROCESSING OF TRANSFER OF YOUR UNITED NATIONS/BARAK
OBAMA COMPENSATION FUNDS.
IN YOUR EMAIL RESPONSE, INDICATE YOUR CONTACT PHONE NUMBER AND A VALID COPY
OF YOUR PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION INCLUDING A PREFERRED MEANS BY WHICH
THE BARCLAYS BANK PLC LONDON, UK CAN CONVENIENTLY TRANSFER
THE THREE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS
TO YOU. ban_k-imoon10@hotmail.com 
 
SIGNED.
BAN KI-MOON
SECRETARY GENERAL, UNITED NATION.
 
COPYRIGHT (C) 2010 UNITED NATION ORGANIZATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 

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