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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: MABEL MERIT <joyosunde@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mabeljohn27@yahoo.ca
Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2010 22:15:54 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: I expect your reply





Dearest
 
My name is Merit Maiga. I am a national of  Liberia, currently living, in Ivory Coast. It happen i came in contact with you after my searching for a reliable and trustworthy  person whom i can trust.  My father Mr. Williams, was the financial controller, of oil companies in Morovia. During the federal project, my father was awarded a contract to install gas line in morovia counties. After a week of this contract award, my father called me and my younger brother, that he will travel to Cote d’ Ivoire for nine days, the only thing i could remember was the time he called his personal to come, so they both move to air port. Really  I am more than perplex, as i write you this message because i hardly know you, i just hope and pray, you should be a good person and also make a good friend.
 
My father,  died there, never return back. It was after a month a lawyer called us from Abidjan, the capital city, that our urgent attention is highly needed. Intially i wanted to refuse, but something run my mind, what really run my mind was the mail and picture of my late father. So i traveled to abidjan, where i ment wirth the lawyer. Sincerely, my predicament is so long, that if i have to explain the situation i went through it will make a book, Thank GOD, i am alive, what i heard is enough, and i am still thanking God, to help me to find a person that can help me. The lawyer called me secretly, and explain to me, that my father left in will, with a security company, that's why he called me, so, i should try to go there and see.  No one else can contact and claim it, apart from you, as the next of kin. Actually, i take a first step, when i saw my  name and my father picture, i called the company number on the contact they gave to me, They ask me
to come, i went to find out that all was real, So now i am afriad because of what happen to my father, this why i need a neutral person that can truly help me, recieve the deposite, the deposite  i got is 5.2 Million U.S Dollars.  I never tell the lawyer nor the company, with the intruction, my late father left with document i am the only person that knows the real deposite, please can you help? so that i can give you the company contact. Please i sincerely expect your soonest response, to enable find a solution to this, thanks as i expect to hear from you.
Merit Maiga
 

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