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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: Retson Alan <retson.alanbf@gmail.com>
Reply-To: alan.retsonbf@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 14:39:46 +0100
Subject: URGENT RESPOND FROM MR RETSON ALAN

URGENT RESPOND FROM MR RETSON ALAN
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A)
OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO.
 
Dear Friend,
 
I am the manager of auditing and accounting department of BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A) here in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of US$15m dollars (Fifteen  million  dollars ) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR. RICHARD BURSON from Florida, U.S.A) who died along with  his wife  November  1999  in a plane crash. For more information about the crash you can visit this site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/502503.stm
 
Since  the bank management  got information about his death, They have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because the bank  can not release it unless some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws , but fortunately I got information from his data that  he did not indicated any body as his next of kin  here before his death, the first day  he  open his account  in our bank  which I have  hide  his  data  information for the   new  directors  we are having as of now not to know that  he didn't indicate any  body as his next of kin before death,  that is why I have  the got to   contact you  which I know  very well that  with the best of your assistance and my directives  this money  will be claim and transferred  to your account after the  processing  by the  entire bank management with your application which the will receive.
 
The banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after nine years the money will be transferred into the bank treasury  account  as unclaimed  fund. The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe  like me can not stand as next of kin to a foreigner who nationalized here in our country for 34 years.
 
I agreed that 40% of this money will be for you as a respect to your full assistance  to me as my partner  and the provision  of your account  where this money will be transferred   ,10% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% would be for me. There after, I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentage indicated  here in this mail , there fore  to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you , you have to  apply first to our  bank as relation or next of kin to the deceased customer with a text of application that I will send to you, but before I send to you the text of application form, I will like you to send me the following information for me to know  your  capacity to work with me as my partner, if it's good  I will then send you the details of the transaction , after you have read the details and  satisfied  with it  I will send you the application  which you will fill and I will direct you on how  you are going to send it  with the bank customers service address I will send ,for you to apply as his   next of kin or  business  partner.
 
1.NAME IN FULL:........................................................
2.ADDRESS:................................................................
3.NATIONALITY:...........................................................
4.AGE:.........................................................................
5.Sex............................................................................
6.OCCUPATION:.............................................................
7.MARITAL STATUS:......................................................
8.PRIAVTE PHONE NO....................................................
9.PRIVATE FAX NO:.......................................................
10.ATTACH COPY OF YOUR IDENTIFICATION.................
 
So   I will like you to send to me those information for easy and effective communication. Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application form.  I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear because  I have noted  that  with the best of  his  information I have gathered   you  both of us  will claim this money easily without any  problem , because it's  100% free and legal.
 
THANKS
HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOONEST
MR RETSON  ALAN
+226 78 22 77 95
 
 
 

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