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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: "Mrs Judith Bell." <judith_bell@albaniaonline.com>
Reply-To: judithbell1985@albaniaonline.com
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:21:12 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Investment,,

Good Day.

My name is Mrs Judith Bell, I am a senior partner in the Technical
Advisory Board of Allied Irish Bank Group(Senior Security Specialist). We
are conducting a standard process investigation on behalf of "AIB Group”,
the International Banking conglomerate. This investigation involves a
client who shares the same surname with you and also the circumstances
surrounding investments made by this client at "AIB Group”, the Private
Banking arm of Allied Irish Bank. The client died in testate and nominated
no successor in title over the investments made with the bank. I contact
you independently of our investigation and no one is informed of this
communication. I would like to intimate you with certain facts that I
believe would be of interest to you. You share similar details to the late
fellow; I am prepared to place you in a position to instruct the firm to
release the deposit to you as the closest surviving relation. Upon receipt
of the deposit, I am prepared to share the money with you. I would have
gone ahead to ask the funds be released to me, but that would have drawn a
straight line to me and my involvement in claiming the deposit. I am aware
of the consequences of this proposal. I ask that if you find no interest
in this project that you should discard this mail. I ask that you do not
be vindictive and destructive. If my offer is of no appeal toyou,delete
this message and forget I ever contacted you. Do not destroy my career
because you do not approve of my proposal. You may not know thisbut people
like myself who have made tidy sums out of comparable situations run the
whole private banking sector. I am not a criminal and what I do, I do not
find against good conscience, this may be hard for you to understand, but
the dynamics of my industry dictates that I make this move. Such
opportunities only come ones in a
lifetime. I have family and this is an opportunity to provide them with
new opportunities. If you give me positive signals,I will initiate this
process towards a conclusion. I send you this mail not without a measure
of fear as to what the consequences, but I know within me that nothing
ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or
on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I have learned from my private
banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one accord,
we should plan a meeting soon.

Kind regards,

Mrs Judith Bell.


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