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: "Thomas Baker Chamber" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <thomasbaker_chambers@live.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:45:33 +0100
Subject: Inheritance Funds.

Hello,

I guess this letter will come to you as a surprise because of the obvious absence of any prior discussion regarding the subject matter. I came across your contact in my search for a reliable partner to help handle a fiduciary transaction which promises a huge benefit to a perceived partner.

I am Mr. Thomas Baker, attorney and financial adviser to my late client, a contractor and expatriate who was killed along with his family while on a business trip in the Bologna-Verona Italian train crash in 2005. Before his death, he had the sum of $17 Million USD in a safe deposit account here in Europe. Since his sudden death, no one has ever shown up for his claims. I have personally monitored this deposit all these years, and having attempted to trace any of his relatives since his death without luck, I have now resolved to utilize the funds on investment and charity to assist helpless people.

I am in possession of all legal documents covering this unclaimed deposit since 2005. I have therefore contacted you to present you as the claimant because as proxy to the account I cannot personally lay claims to it except through a foreigner who I will present to the financial institution as next kin. I am willing to provide you with the entire legal documentation that will enable you claim the money legally after which the two of us will share 50% of total funds equally, while the balance 50% will be for charity: to assist victims of Earthquake, Flood Hurricane, and orphanages in the world

My decision to undertake this transaction is with all sense of love and care for charity as well as honesty.

Please, reply with your full names, telephone and cell phone numbers, so we can commence this transaction in earnest.

Sincerely Yours.
Mr. Thomas Baker
Principal Partner (Thomas Baker Chambers)

Anti-fraud resources: