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: MARK GEORGE <sstg.markgeorge@btinternet.com>
Reply-To: ssgtmarkgrg@googlemail.com
Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 07:08:26 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: United States Marine Corps. IRAQ


Dear Friend,    
 
Good day and compliments, I know this letter will definitely come to you as a huge surprise, but I implore you to take the time to go through it carefully as the decision you make will go a long way to determine my future and continued existence. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am SSgt. Mark George, a US serving in the Hqs. Multinational Corps Iraq, III Corps-Camp Victory, which Patrols the Baghdad province. I am desperately in need of assistance and I have summoned up courage to contact you. I am presently in Iraq and I found your contact particulars in an internet address journal. I am seeking your assistance to evacuate the sum of $12,570,000(Twelve million Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand USD) to the States or any safe country of your choice, as far as I can be assured that it will be safe in your care until I complete my service here. This is no stolen money and there are no dangers involved.    
 
I have now found a secured way of getting the package out of Iraq for you to pick it up. I do not know for how long I will remain here as I have been lucky to have survived 2 suicide bomb attacks by Pure Divine intervention. This and other reasons put into consideration have prompted me to reach out for help. If it might be of interest to you then Endeavour to contact me and we would work out the necessary formalities, but I pray that you are discreet about this mutually benefiting relationship.    
 
Contact me via my private box: c.c07@ig.com.br so that I can furnish you with more details.   
 
Respectfully,
 
SSgt. Mark George
Email: c.c07@ig.com.br
United States Marine Corps. IRAQ.

Anti-fraud resources: