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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: "Gerald H. Paulson" <billy@tmslive.info>
Reply-To: centralbusinesspoint@msn.com
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:51:39 -0000
Subject: Please Respond


Dear Sir

How are you doing?. My intention of contacting you is to solicit your
assistance for a project, which will be mutually beneficial to you and I.
Though I know my decision to contact you is to a large extent
unconventional, but the prevailing circumstances necessitated my action
and I know this mail will come as a suprise to you but from a sincere
heart with honest desire for your assistance please bear with me.

In a brief introduction, My name is Gerald H. Paulson from Sierra Leone.It
is my pleasure communicating with you for the first time and believing
that it will lead to a better relationship between us. I have an
inheritance which was left for me by late father but the bank said they
were instructed by my late father during depositing of the money, that it
is only his business partner that is authorised to withdraw the money
because of my age when he made the agreement with the bank but now my
father is late and was killed by this his partner who was suppose to
withdraw the money and give to me according to my late father's
instruction and because of this, I am afraid of contacting the man or
letting him know I want to withdraw the money and I will never let him
know about the money or call him. So right now I have explained to the
Bank Manager incharge about the situation and he said I should introduce
another business partner of my late father (SPECIFICALLY FROM YOUR
COUNTRY) to withdraw the money for me and transfer it to his country
account for onward investment in your country. So it is on ground that I
have decided to contact you and I will please want you to stand as my late
father's business partner in claiming the money from the bank where it is
right now.

As a matter of important protocol, please I also want to let you know
according to the Bank Manager, that this transaction will involve a little
expenses because the Bank said that the new partner of late father whom I
will introduce to replace the old one, will have to make a change of
ownership of the fund to enable all documents/files concerning the fund in
their bank read his/her name as the bonafide beneficiary for easy transfer
to his/her country account and as well as obtain all the necessary
remittance clearance documents from the Central Bank and Ministries
concerned which must read your name as the bonafide beneficiary for easy
transfer of the fund to your country's account without question from your
Government.

The total amount in the account for withdrawal is US$65.5million. and I
resolved to compensate you with 30% of the total sum if only you can
assist me faithfully to claim the money and assist me also in investing
the money in any lucrative business in your country or anywhere in the
world you may deam suitable and every expenses incured in moving the money
to your country account, will be refunded with interest.


Further to this, please I will give you more detail and forward all vital
information to you as soon as I hear from you. Note also that the Bank
Manager said I should give you his private telephone number to call him so
he will let you further arrangement.


Regards as I urgently await to hearing from you.

Gerald H. Paulson



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