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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: Barrister Muhammed Ahmed <muhammed_ahmed@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: barristermuhammedahmed1@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:03:06 -0500
Subject: HELLO BENEFICIARY..



ATTN:

MY NAME IS BARRISTER Muhammed Ahmed. I AM A LEGAL PRACTITIONER WITH K C LEE &
CO. LAW FIRM IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA. I SAW YOUR CONTACT AND PROFILE AND I
DECIDED THAT YOU COULD COOPERATE WITH ME IN THIS PROPOSITION. I HAVE A CLIENT
WHO WAS DECEASED IN MARCH 12 2004, IN KUALA LUMPUR HOSPITAL, MALAYSIA. I AM
CONTACTING YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME AS MY DECEASED CLIENT AND I
FELT THAT YOU COULD HELP ME IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUND THAT WERE LEFT IN MY
DECEASED CLIENT'S BANK ACCOUNT. THIS FUND IS CLOSED TO BE DECLARED
UN-SERVICEABLE BY THE BANK AS THERE WERE NO INDICATED NEXT OF KIN OR NEXT OF
BENEFICIARY OF THE FUND IN THE BANK ACCOUNT.


THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF CASH IN THE BANK ACCOUNT OF MY DECEASED CLIENT IS US$4.7
MILLION (FOUR MILLION, SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND US$). THE BANK HAD
ISSUED TO ME A
NOTIFICATION TO CONTACT THE NEXT OF KIN OF MY DECEASED CLIENT FOR EITHER TO RE
ACTIVATE THE ACCOUNT OR TO MAKE CLAIM OF BENEFICIARY, OF THE FUNDING
IN THE BANK
ACCOUNT, WITH A MONTH SURCHARGE OF 6% TO BE DEDUCTED AS AN ESCROW SAFE KEEPING
FEE OF THE BANK ACCOUNT, SO AS TO AVOID To MY PROPOSITION TO YOU IS TO
SEEK YOUR
CONSENT, AND TO PRESENT YOUR KIND SELF AS THE NEXT-OF-KIN AND
BENEFICIARY OF MY
DECEASED CLIENT, SINCE YOU HAVE THE SAME LAST NAME WITH HIM. THIS MEANS THAT
THE PROCEEDS OF HIS BANK ACCOUNT WOULD BE PAID TO YOU AS HIS NEXT OF
KIN OR THE
LEGITIMATE BENEFICIARY. WHEN THE PROCEEDS IN HIS BANK ACCOUNT ARE
PAID TO YOU,
WE WOULD SHARE THE PROCEEDS ON A MUTUALLY AGREED-UPON PERCENTAGE OF 60% TO ME
AND 40% TO YOUR KIND SELF.

ALL THE LEGAL DOCUMENTS TO BACK UP YOUR CLAIM AS MY CLIENT'S NEXT-OF-KIN WOULD
BE PROVIDED BY ME. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I WOULD NEED IS YOUR HONEST
COOPERATION TO IN THIS PROPOSITION. THIS WOULD BE DONE UNDER A LEGITIMATE
ARRANGEMENT THAT WOULD PROTECT YOU FROM ANY BREACH OF THE LAW.

IF THIS BUSINESS PROPOSITION OFFENDS YOUR MORAL AND ETHIC VALUES, DO ACCEPT MY
SINCERE APOLOGY. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT ONCE IF YOU INTERESTED BY REPLYING THE
MAIL AND IGNORE IT IF YOU ARE NOT.

BEST REGARDS,

Muhammed Ahmed ESQ

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