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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: "Fred Alberti" <fred.alberti2007@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:03:30 -0500
Subject: IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Please are you a relation of one Samuel, who shares your same surname. You
see, I came upon you having his same surname while me searching for his
relations in the searchfamily sites, hence my emailing you to intimate you
about something to do with him and you.

Meanwhile, I am Fred Alberti, his associate. The thing is about some crude
oil deals that he operated in Iraq during the war, through which the money
of the crude oil deals was paid to an arranged transit private bank account
in Switzerland, with a standing order for further credit of the money to his
account, but because of his incidental death from insurgent suicide car bomb
attack in Iraq, the money could not be further transferred to his account,
and it is pending in the transit private bank account in Switzerland.

In the light of the above intimation, I wish to bring to your knowledge that
whether you are his relation or not, but with your surname and first name
initial same as his own, I wish to have you to stand in for the further
transfer of this pending money from the transit private bank account in
Switzerland to you based on the money further credit standing order
beneficiary which has his first name initial and surname only, this
technically qualifies you to stand in as him for the money further transfer
to you.

If you agree, all you need to do is to arrange me a bank account under your
first name initial and surname only, this is the information needed for the
order of the money transfer to you as him from the transit private bank
account in Switzerland. I remain to have your reply.
Yours hopefully.
Fred Alberti.

Anti-fraud resources: