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: "CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <lnternationaloperations01@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:04:38 -0700
Subject: FUNDS RELEASE ARRANGEMENT

From Desk of the Deputy Governor,
International Operations,
Central Bank of Nigeria.
80 Tinubu Square,Victoria Island
Lagos-Nigeria.
Phone: +234-803-946-2443
       +234-1- 773-3765
 
Our Ref: CBN/INT.OPN/INTER-10
Your Ref: AFX 076GD7B24
 
Attn: Beneficiary,
 
PART PAYMENT FUNDS RELEASE ARRANGEMENT VALUED FOUR MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS (US$4.5M).
 
I'm  prompt to contact you directly from the Foreign Operations Department, of this bank to notifying you that the New Administration of Government of Dr. Good Luck Jonathan in collaboration with United States Department of Treasury, and other Financial World bodies have unanimously resolute that your long awaiting contract/inheritance funds valued as stated above would be released to you through a Centralized Electronic Online Transfer System to your account of your choice. To this effect, we are obliged by the Central Bank Governor in person of Mr. Sanui Lamido Sanusi to set up an online account to that effect.
 
Similarly, due to incessant impostors over the internet, we are skeptical to release some vital information’s regarding the payment to you at the moment until after due process of the bank are strictly followed, then, we will provided with all the necessary information’s of the payment and all other documentations would be made available to you for your reference. On that note, you are required to confirm the stated information’s below to ascertain that the rightful beneficiary is been communicated. Upon receipt of these informations, all other documentations will be forwarded to you for reference as stated above.
1) Your complete names
2 Your mailing/residential address.
3) Your Direct telephone #
4) Scan copies of your identification.
 
However, with the information on my desk, I was made to understand that you have been going through hard ways by paying a lot of charges to purported local banks here in Nigeria. In that regard, all Foreign Contractual/inheritance payment handled by local banks here in Nigeria have been cancelled as Directed by the Office of the Presidency.
 
Therefore, from now hence forth stop further communication with any person(s) nor bank(s) From Nigeria nor from any part of Africa, Europe or Asia. You are not to pay any unconstitutional charges to receive your payment anymore as your payment have been unanimously harmonized by the present Government of Federal Republic of Nigeria in collaboration with United Stated Department of Treasury.
 
Your representatives will tell you to still go ahead with them but on your own good. Please be warned!!!!
 
Best Regard,
Mr. Ernest C. Ebi
 
 


Anti-fraud resources: