joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Ms. Zamha Tuponile" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <imfor_555@globomail.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 03:20:05 -0000
Subject: I I NEED YOUR URGENT REPLY OR CALL ME

Hello,

I want to thank you most sincerely for the assistance you rendered to me when i was really in need and I am glad to inform you that I succeeded in collecting the money from the bank. I succeeded with the co-operation of a new partner from Ukraine and presently, I am in Europe for investment projects with my own share of the total sum and I have gone back to school as you advised me.

Meanwhile I did not forget your efforts and attempts to assist me in transferring those funds, even though we did not succeed but I cannot fail to show my gratitude for all you did for me and for standing by me when I needed a person to comfort me. I have compensated you with the sum of $7.8M, one million five hundred thousand dollars which is what I promised you from the onset. Now contact Barrister Edmund Mponda, my lawyer in Tanzania so that he will transfer the money to you as I have already instructed him to do so. Here are his contacts:

Contact Name: Barr. Edmund Mponda
Email contact: (barr.edmund.mponda@w.cn)
Phone: +255 682617193

Call or write him and ask for the transfer of the money to any account that you will provide to him for this purpose. I am very busy at the moment and so may not be able to always call or write you. I wish you the best in life and I hope that the Almighty will also provide people that will assist you just as you assisted me in my time of need. My sincere regards to your family.

Sincerely,
Ms. Zamha Tuponile

Anti-fraud resources: