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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: Mensah James <james.mensah2008@yandex.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:55:04 +0700
Subject: ASSISTANCE

Attn:

Good day to you , Please do not be surprised how i got your contact details ,from business
directory of the Ghana Chamber of commerce and industry , because i am seeking for
somebody to assist me with my proposal .

As a matter of fact , I am sending this proposal to you, to take you as a partner ,
a friend as well as a confidant in this business of mine, but before I go further ,
i want to introduce myself to you properly , because you may not know whom i am and
the high position i head in Ghana Ghanaian Ministry .

I am Dr. James Mensah, Director of Revenue Management, Accra - Ghana .

Regarding the transaction , I am making this contact to you, based on the need for
your to assist me receive my funds in your country . The of amount (US$19.5 Million).

Presently, the funds are deposited in an Escrow account , where my attorney deposited
them for safety , though in his names , but he does not have access to them .

I want to recommend my attorney to you , whom you will have to work with to get the funds
transferred to your account as soon as possible .

For your information , I am still in active service with the government , and i do not
want any reason whereby , I will be linked with the funds because i am a civil servant ,
and i am not allowed to have such a huge amount in my account . That is why i told my
attorney , to deposit the funds in his names , in an escrow call account for safety .

My attornmey said , if everything goes right , we can have the funds in your account
within 5 banking days .

When replying this letter , i want you to forward a copy of you international passport or
Identity card for recognition .

As soon as you assist me receive this funds in your country, i shall leave active service
as a senior civil servant, and fly to your country for a proper disbursement as well as
investing my own part of the funds in a lucrative business which you shall handle on my
behalf , and my family will later to join me .

You share will be handed over to you as soon as i arrive and the disbursement is done.

Should you be willing to assist me in this transaction, I am ready to give you 35% of the
US$19.5 million.

Conclusively, Please be informed that i want this to remain secret and it should be between
me, you and my attorney , because i want to remain anonymous in this transaction.

Yours Faithfully,

Dr. James Mensah,
Director of Project
Ghana Dept. of Energy
& Mineral Resources.

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