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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: "Mr James Kisoko" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kisokojames@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 18:07:31 +0700
Subject: FROM MR JAMES KISOKO.

FROM MR JAMES KISOKO.
AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS.
FOREIGN OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT.
ECO-BANK GANHI, RUE DU GOUVERNEUR BAYOL
P.O... BOX: 01 B.P 1280 COTONOU
REPUBLIQUE OF BENIN
+299 0808 2380 2589.


Good-day my dear Friend,

I am Mr. James Kisoko the head of audit and accounts, Eco-Bank, Benin. Rep., with regard to old African sayings, some of which go…no man is an island…or…scratch my back…,I scratch your back. As such, It is my pleasure to introduce to you a delightful business-opportunity which will be beneficial to the both of us.

You see... in the Banking Industry, which I am sure you also patronize…when customers open accounts and become victims of life's circumstances, some die, and in the absence of the next of kin for claims, after a given time the account is rendered dormant, closed and the proceeds credited into the working account of the bank., so cheer up.

During recent and routine audit and investigation of accounts in the bank, my assistant in the department discovered another batch of definite sums of money belonging to deceased individuals, one of whom was a victim of a natural disaster on the 26th of December, 2004.

>From the necessary information at the disposal of my office…it was discovered that Sumatra, which is his permanent place of abode, was hit and destroyed at the wee hours of the morning, by a tsunami, which took the lives of his entire family on the same day. You see…as a Senior Executive in the sector I come across such cases regularly. And I knew that it was only a matter of time before skill and opportunity would meet.

This is why your urgent response will be appreciated to ease a timely conclusion of the process. As it is…we have an Ultimatum of 2weeks to conclude this transaction before in-house transfers are concluded and the opportunity lost, I would like to add that the amount involved in this transaction is $19.5million dollars and all necessary modalities of claim, credit and transfer to our individual and respective accounts has since been perfected. On conclusion of this affair you will be entitled to a handsome percentage of the total sum.

.
You see my friend…by virtue of my position in the Company… I will influence things from behind, while you will be introduced as a bona-fide next of kin to claim the deposit in the account, all of which I will facilitate.

Yours faithfully,
Mr. James Kisoko.

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