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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. David R. Sherwood" <mr.david@videobank.it>
Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:08:44 +0100
Subject: CAN I TRUST YOU ?........



From: Mr. David R. Sherwood

I guess this letter might come to you as a surprise since I had no previous
correspondence with you, But with due respect I got your contact from the
internet in my research for a reliable and trustworthy person who will be fit
and capable to assist me in handling a very confidential business transaction
involving the transfer of US35.5 million dollars only. The above fund is not
connected with arms, drugs or Money laundering; neither is it related to any
terrorist sponsor of any sort.

I am David R. Sherwood, an accountant and a branch manager, The Board members
with the office of the Director, International Remittances/Foreign Operation,
has approved and accredited this reputed bank to handle and transfer
all foreign
inheritance funds this final quota of the year. During the course of my annual
general auditing, I discovered a domiciliary account that has not been
operated,
for three years I have kept this secret within myself. Now, I decided to seek
your full co-operation and partnership to move out these funds
urgently. Hence;
the dormant nature of the account and without any traceable next of
kin, if I do
not remit the funds out urgently, the account will be confiscated and
the funds
will be re-channeled into the government purse to be shared among themselves.

All I need from you is to stand as the beneficiary to this dormant account and
to provide either an existing bank account or set up a new Bank account
immediately to receive this fund or you help to seek an honest and reliable
businessman who can assist us. I am only contacting you as a foreigner because
these funds cannot be approved for a local account here and I am not
supposed to
be in possession of such amount of dollars. But the funds can only be approved
to any foreigner whom I present as the beneficiary to the funds.

I will use my position in the Bank to do all the underground work and
hasten the
approval and release of the funds in your favor. I will be monitoring
the whole
situation here in this bank until you confirm the funds in your
account and ask
me to come over to your country for our subsequent sharing of the fund
according
by percentages. This transaction will only take us 14 Banking days to
finalize.
So do not border or entertain any atom of fears as all modalities has been
mapped out for us achieve success and this is my 25 yrs in the banking
industry.

At the successful completion of the transaction, You shall be compensated with
35% of the funds for standing in as the beneficiary while 5% will be
mapped out
to offset any expenses that might arise in the course of the transfer,
10% will
be channeled to charity and 50% to me the originator of the Business.

I need your full co-operation to make this work fine, as I will use my
office to
see that the transaction is hitch free and will destroy entire documents
relating to the transaction once we conclude the Deal. Please, you have been
advice to keep "top secret" for now as I am still in service and intend to
retire after we conclude this deal.

Further details about this transaction will be discussed in the subsequent
correspondence.

Best regards,
Mr. David R. Sherwood
Director Auditing Department
Lloyds TSB Bank
London, United Kingdom.

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