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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: "mrs.mariam Degeh" <mrsmariamdegeh@sify.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 08:45:07 -0800 (PST)
Subject: PLEASE REPLY ME IMMEDIATELY.



Dear Friend,
                        

Attn; Please!!!
 
I am MRS. MARIAM
DEGEH; Manager of bill and exchange at
the foreign remittance department of Bank of Africa (BOA) Ouagadougou , Burkina
Faso . I would like you to indicate your interest to receive the transfer
of US$27.2 Million. I will like you to stand as the next of kin to my late
client (MR. PAUL LOUIS from Paris , France ) who died
along with His entire family in 6th December 2003 in a plane crash.

 
Since we got information about his
death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money
because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for as next of kin or
relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but
unfortunately we learnt that all his supposed next of kin or relation died
alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

 
The Banking law and guideline here
stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after Eight to Nine years an
above, the money will be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund. I
agree that 40 % of this money will be for you as foreign partner in respect to
the provision of a foreign account,   and while 60 %would be for
me.
 
There after I will visit your
country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated. Therefore to
enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged, you must apply
first to the bank as relations or next of kin of the deceased indicating your
bank name, your bank account number, your private telephone and fax number for
easy and effective communication and location where the money will be remitted.
Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the
application. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is
hitch free and that you should no entertain any atom of fear as all required
arrangements have been made for the transfer. 
 
  Please make sure you keep this
transaction as your top secret and make it confidential till we receive the fund
into the account that you will provide to the Bank. Don't disclose it to any
body, because the secrecy of this transaction is as well as the success of it.

 
I am waiting to hear from you
urgently.
 
Yours faithfully,
MRS.MARIAM DEGEH.




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