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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: US Ambassador to Nigeria <dekuk@dekuk.cnc.net>
Reply-To: tterencemcculley@aol.com
Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:43:27 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Delivery of your funds via "Diplomatic Consignment"

Office of the US Ambassador to Nigeria
11 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island
Lagos, Nigeria.

Attention: Beneficiary

My name is Terence Patrick McCulley, the new United States Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The United States Senate had confirmed my nomination on August 5 2010 after being nominated for this position by U.S. President Barack Obama on June 28, 2010. My credentials as the new Ambassador appointed were presented to His Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria, on November 2, 2010. I am a career member of the senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor whose diplomatic career has been spent mostly in Africa or working on African issues. I served most recently as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, DenmarK. Prior to this, I was the U.S. Ambassador to Mali, and I have served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Tunisia, Senegal and Togo. Other overseas postings include Niger, South Africa, India and Chad. In Washington, I was the senior desk officer for Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Deputy Coordinator for Iraq Assistance. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in European history and French language and literature in University of Oregon in Eugene, and I also attend the Université de Haute Bretagne in Rennes, France, from 1979-1980 as a Rotary Foundation Graduate Fellow, and also attend the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. My identity can be verified by simply clicking on the URL link below:

http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/biography.html

However, acting in my capacity as the US Ambassador to Nigeria, I have resolved with the Nigeria's Presidency to deliver the sum of $6.5 million dollars being a partial payment of your contract/inheritance fund. I shall be coming to your country for an official meeting with your President by this week and I will be bringing your consignment containing the fund which has been packaged and sealed in your favor. But this time I will not go through customs scrutiny because as a US Ambassador to Nigeria, I am a US government agent and a career member of the senior Foreign Service. Hence, I have the diplomatic immunity that will allow me a free-passage through the customs. I am scheduled to have a meeting with your President by this week.

Therefore, you are required to send me your direct cellphone number and the address where you want me to bring the consignment package. You have really paid so much in pursuit of this inheritance fund as I was made to understand and that is why I have personally intervened. Hence, hyou are a very lucky person because I am personally bringing it myself and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

However, your package containing the ($6.5 million dollars) must be registered as a "diplomatic package" to enable me defeat all odds, and the cost of registering the package as a "diplomatic package" is $135.00 dollars. Hence, the fee must be paid within 24 hours upon your receipt of this notification via western union, so that all neccessary arrangement can be made ahead of time.

The fee should me sent directly to the "cargo registration officer" with the below information:

Recipient's Name: JELILI OLADEJO
Address: 11, Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island
Text question: Pet
Text answer: Cat

Please be noted that my trip will be by this week and I expect you to comply before then, so that the delivery can be completed. If you do not comply, then it will not be my fault if you do not receive your consignment package. I will be expecting to receive the MTCN # for the $135.00 dollars asap.

Congratulations!!!

Respectfully yours,

Terence P. McCulley
US Ambassador to Nigeria
Email: tterencemcculley@aol.com

Anti-fraud resources: