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: "From Mrs Helen Schranner" <service@parasaga.com>
Reply-To: helenschranner676@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:20:36 +0200
Subject: From Mrs Helen Schranner

>From Mrs Helen Schranner
 
My Beloved Friend,
          
           Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus,Amen.Please read this slowly and carefully as it maybe one of the most important mails you'll ever get.My name is Mrs Helen Schranner from Australia.I was married to late Mr. Andreas Schranner who is my husband,and also the CEO Kangaroo Oil Ltd,Australia,and a seasoned contractor in England.He died on the Tuesday,7th July 2009 in Tokyo.
          
            My late husband and i were married for years without a child of our own and after his death i decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home.As i speak to you,i have been diagonalized with kidney infection,of which the doctors have confirmed and told me that i would not live up to 3months as a result of the the damage that has already been done in my system.
           
             After my husband passed away,i realized he deposited a huge sum of money in a bank in England.The money that was deposited in England is a total sum of £4.5million.As i write to you,i feel that the  money in the bank would be a waste after i die and that is why i have come to a conclusion of donating the money out to the less privilege and also the motherless babies home.
       
             My husband's brother is an addicted smoker and drinker who spends his money on expensive drinks and unnecessary things and so i do not wish for him to have any of the money which my husband worked so hard for all his life.
            Please,my dear friend i have come to you to help me carry out this last wish of mine because i have been confined to a wheel chair in my home in France and so i can't travel all the way from here.
          
            If you wish to help me,write back to me at your earliest convenience so that i would direct you to a legal practitioner in England who would help you in withdrawing the aforementioned funds from the bank.
          
          Deuteronomy 16:17"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you"
         
          I await your urgent reply.Thanks for your kindness
God Bless,
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs.Helen Schranner

Anti-fraud resources: