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: "==+++=Gerald Walter &CO=++++==" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <patrickchai10001@yahoo.cn>
Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 00:46:31 -0400
Subject: business for us to do


>From The Desk of Patrick Chai
Email: patrickchai10001@yahoo.cn


I am Liu Ling Principal Assurance manager for the Hauxia commercial Bank in China
I am getting in touch with you regarding the estate of Alfred and an investment placed under
our banks management 7 years ago.

I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this email confidential and respect
the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this mail. I contact you independently
and no one is informed of this communication. In 2000, the subject matter; Alfred came to our
bank to engage in business discussions with our private banking division. He informed us that
he had a financial portfolio of $15.5 million United States dollars, which he wished to have us
invest on his behalf.

Based on my advice, we spun the money around various opportunities and made attractive
margins for our first months of operation, the accrued profit and interest stood at this point at
over 10 million United States Dollars. In mid 2002, he instructed that the principal sum
($15.5M) be liquidated because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash
payments in Hong Kong and China. We got in touch with a specialist bank in China, the
Guangdong Development Bank (GDB) who agreed to receive this money for a fee and make
cash available to Alfred. However Guangdong Development Bank got in touch with us last
year that this money has not been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Alfred was
involved in an accident in Mainland China, which means he died intestate. He has no next of
kin and the reason I am writing you is because you are namesakes.

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will be made the beneficiary
of these funds. My bank will contact you informing you that money has been willed to you.
On verification, which will be the details I make available to my bank, my bank will instruct
GDB to make payments to you. You do not have to have known him. I know this might be a bit
heavy for you but please trust me on this. For all your troubles I propose that we split the money
in half. In the banking circle this happens every time. The other option is that the money will
revert back to the state.

Nobody is getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold the KEY to these funds, and
as a Chinese National we see so much cash and funds being re-assigned daily. I would want
us to keep communication for now strictly by the above email.

Please, again, note I am a family man; I have a wife and children. I send you this mail not
without a measure of fear as to the consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured
is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold.
This is the one truth I have learned from my private banking clients. Do not betray my
confidence. If we can be of one accord, we should act swiftly on this. Please pardon my
writing mistakes.

Please get back to me immediately via the above email...patrickchai10001@yahoo.cn

I await your response.

Patrick Chai.

Anti-fraud resources: