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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: yonli zerbo <yonli.zerbo1950@voila.fr>
Reply-To: yonli_zerbo1950@voila.fr
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:12:43 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Thanks



























Greetings to you, This letter might
meet you in utmost surprise, However, Its just my urgent need for a foreign
partner that made me to contact you, I am a banker by profession in Burkina Faso
currently holding the post of director auditing and accounting department of
Bank of Africa Burkina Faso. I have opportunity to transfer left over funds $5.2
Million (Five Million, Two Hundred thousand United States Dollars) that belongs
to one of our bank customer who died along with his family in a bomb explosion
in Iraq .
 
I have investigated and discovered
that the deceased customer declared his wife as the next of kin in his official
papers including the paper work of the funds deposit, both the deceased customer
and his wife and other members of his family’s all died during the Iraq war bomb
explosion. The last time the deceased customer visited our bank he confide in me
that no one else except me knew of his deposit in our bank. The $5.2 Million
(Five Million, Two Hundred thousand United States Dollars) is still lying in our
bank and no one has ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that
according to the laws of our bank, if no one comes for claim of the funds before
end of this year 2010, the funds will be transferred into our Bank’s treasury
account as an abandoned or unclaimed funds and will be shared among the top
shareholders and CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS of our Bank, We Poor employees of the
bank do not gain anything out of these confiscated funds, Many Banks in Africa
confiscates lots of funds amounting to millions yearly and 95% of these funds
belongs to foreigners.
 
My proposal to you is that I am
prepared to place you as the next of kin and business partner to the deceased
customer and release the deposit to you as the nearest next of kin and business
partner of the deceased customer, before the death of the deceased customer he
was a CONTRACTOR of GOLD and DIAMOND dealer in Burkina Faso, so you will stand
as a next of kin and business partner to the deceased customer in associates of
buying GOLD and DIAMOND in Burkina Faso.  I am prepared to share
the funds 50% for you while 50% for me and I will simply nominate you as the
next of kin and business partner the funds will be release into your
account.  I am not a criminal, I do not find it against good
conscience, this may be hard for you to understand, but the dynamics of my
industry dictates that I make this move; Such opportunities only come ones in a
lifetime. I cannot let this opportunity pass me by, for once I find myself in
total control of my destiny and this opportunity won’t pass me by. I ask that
you do not neglect this great opportunity, if you will not work with me let me
know and let me move on with my life. I am a family man and this is a great
opportunity for me to provide my family’s new opportunities after my
retirements. There is a reward for this project and it is a task well worth
undertaking.
 
If you give me positive response I
will furnish you with all the information you need for this claim. 
You can contact me via official channels, Also I have confident that we
will be able to establish trust that is needed to complete this transaction and
all that I need from you in the time been is your willingness, commitment and
honesty so that we can achieve these funds transferred into your bank account
successfully in 14  banking days. Like I said before there is no
risks involve, the transaction will be done through our bank international
banking laws and all the necessary information will be given to you. I do not
want any direct link between you and me because  this 
transaction will be done in a  way that my bank managements
will not know that am involve in the claim.
 
I send you this email without fear,
I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained, and success and riches
never come easy or on a platter of gold. This is one truth I have learned from
my private banking experience. Do not betray my confidence in you, if we can be
of one accord, we should plan meeting soon immediately after the funds is
transferred into your account in your country. Further details of the transfer
will be sent to you as soon as I receive a positive response from you. But if my
offer is of no appeal to you, delete my letter and forget about the transaction
and do not expose this information to anyone.
 
 I look forward to
receive your  positive
response.  
 
Thank you, my regards to
you.
Mr. Yonli 
Zerbo.
 



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