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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: "Miss Gift Armah" <armahgift@ymail.com>
Reply-To: giftamagift@blumail.org
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:35:35 -0400
Subject: I need help / Please read and reply

I need you to please Help Me,

Thanks for the time in acknowledging my mail and for your attention to read my
message and showing your interest, I pray that my plan with you shall be of
good success. Well, Let me go ahead to explain little about myself. I am Miss.
Gift Armah and from Monrovia Liberia in West Africa. There is crisis in my
country so I ran to where I am from contacting you today. I am 25yrs and was
still in school when my parent and my only sister died, that was during the
period when Mr. Tailor was president and refused to step down. I am the only
surviving child now left. My father Dr Paul Kuma Armah, was a diamond dealer
and was one of those people who was revolting against the leadership of Mr
Charles Tailor.

One faithful day he sent his boys to set our house on fire killing my parent
and my younger sister. I was so lucky to be in school then, that was why I am
alive today. I meet with our family lawyer and found out that my father wishes
me a brighter future, he left in my possession some amount of money for my
future plan and of his direction in his WILL. He made some deposit for me with
a bank outside Liberia. The reason why I am contacting you is to know if I can
really obtain this favor from you to go into a good plan of investment in your
own country. I have no idea of investment that is the main reason why I ask
for your attention, advise and standing behind me to invest my inheritance in
your country.

My father left Twenty Five million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars
(US$25.5 Million) for me. If you wish to be of this assistance to me, please
do tell me more about yourself for me to also know you better and also your
words of advise for the procedure of this transaction. I have made up my mind
concerning the area of rewarding you back with some percentage of the total
money as soon as the money is been transfer to your position.

Note : I will enlighten you more about the position of the funds and the
offshore bank where the funds is been deposited and presently waiting for
claims which i have already spoken to the bank director and he has assured me
as soon as i provide a foreign partner of my father that the funds will be
released to him without delays.

Please reply to my direct Email Address: giftamagift@blumail.org

Thanks and remain blessed

Best regards.

Miss.Gift Armah

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