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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Duncan Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <duncsmith70@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:43:37 +0100
Subject: Important please

Dear Sir/Madam

IT IS MY HUMBLE PLEASURE TO SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR CONTACTING YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME THROUGH EMAIL. THOUGH IT IS THE FASTEST MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BUT NOT DISCREET FOR A PRIVATE BUSINESS DEAL WITH SOMEBODY YOU HAVE NEVER MET BEFORE.

My name is Duncan Smith, a lawyer by profession and personal assistance to Martin Greeberg,am writing in respect of a foreign customer of Euro Credit and Loans Bank (Mr.Martin Greenberg, from Connecticut, USA) who perished in the plane crash of 31 October 1999[with Egyptian airline 990] and other passengers on aboard.

Sir, since the demise of Mr. Martin Greenberg, I personally have watched with keen interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one has come to claim his funds of USD 30 M, [Thirty Million United States Dollars] which has been with our bank here for a very long time. On this note I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the Next of Kin, as no one has come up to put claim as the Next of Kin or Beneficiary to this funds and the banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more than 10 years, because after 10years the money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

In view of this I got your contact through the Internet directory after I was convinced in my mind that your Name/Company could be used as the Next of Kin to this claim. The request of a foreigner as the Next of Kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Briton cannot stand as the next of kin to a foreigner. I agreed that 30% of this money will be for you as a foreign partner in respect of providing an account while 10% will take of any expenses that might be incurred in the process of succeeding the transfer and the rest will be for me. Thereafter I will visit your country for disbursement, as I am almost due for retirement.

I will not fail to bring to your notice, that this business is hitch/risk free and that you should not entertain any fear, as the whole required arrangement has been perfected for the transfer.

Hoping to hearing from you soonest.

Best regards,
Mr. Duncan Smith

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