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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: "FBI DIRECTOR" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <fbi-director011@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:54:18 -0600
Subject: RE: YOU ARE BEING INVESTGATED ON THIS FUND TRANSFER MADE IN YOUR FAVOR.

Dear Funds Beneficiary,
Attn: Mr./Mrs,

This is an official letter from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) foreign remittance/telegraphic transfers monitoring department. It has come to our notice that the sum of US$10,500,000.00 was transferred into Federal Reserve Bank in your FAVOR - as the beneficiary for final crediting into your personal bank account. The banks in Africa, Asia and Europe knowing fully well that they do not have enough facilities to effect this payment via their corresponding bank used what we know as a "secret diplomatic transit payment" (S.D.T.P) to wire this funds to enable them achieve final crediting into your personal bank account.

Secret diplomatic wire transfers are funds relating to terrorist sponsoring. Why must your payment be made in secret transfer if your transaction is legitimate? If you are not a terrorist or drug dealer, then why did you not receive the money directly into your bank account? This is purely 100% illegal method of transferring funds which from our previous experiences have always been related to terrorist / drug act. We do not want you to get into enormous trouble as soon as these funds reflect in your bank account, so it is our duty as a world wide commission to correct this little problem before this fund will be finally credited into your bank account.

With full concern of The F.B.I and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), we wish to remind you of the consequences of remitting such huge sum of money without complying fully with the provisions of the Financial and Allied Matters Decree 5 as amended in sub-section C (6) of 2003, which stipulates that any monetary transaction of huge sum must have proper records that duly guarantees and covers the transaction as legitimate and legally acquired and not criminally or terrorist associated funds. This is due to the ongoing terrorist activities/economic crimes going on in the entire world.

We have gone through your identity records and our department on money transfers investigation signaled that you have some funds awaiting settlement and final crediting into your bank account. We advice you contact us immediately, as your funds have been temporarily placed on hold at the Federal Reserve bank here in United States based on our instruction until you can provide us with - Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer (DIST) Clearance certificate (within 3 days) to fully regularize the transfer and certify that the funds you are about to receive is terrorist, drug and crimes free so that we shall instruct Federal Reserve Bank to release the funds to you immediately for your personal use.

Based on this, you are to assure and proof to us that the funds you are about to receive is legitimate by sending to us the Diplomatic Immunity Seal Of Transfer (DIST) Clearance Certificate to certify that the fund is not for drug, terrorism and or money laundering. You are to forward the document to us immediately if you have it in your possession. But if you don't have it, kindly let us know so that we can direct you to the particular government agency that issues this document because we have come to realize that the funds were authorized by the bank that initialized the transfer.

Remember, FBI arrest is better imagine than experienced!!!. we have your finger print on our database to trace you if fail to supply us with the Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer and above all, you will be listed as a terrorist and declared wanted on the national TVs if we do not hear from you on this crucial matter of global security risk. So, we need your cooperation to enable us resolve this matter amicable.

Regards,
Dr. Robert S. Mueller, III
Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
J. Edgar Hoover building 935 Pennsylvania Av,
NW Washington D.C. 0001.


CC: Canadian Police Association
CC: General Intelligence Department (GID)
CC: Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG)
CC: Egmont Group
CC: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
CC: Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
CC: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
CC: International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)
CC: International Banking Security Association (IBSA)
CC: International Air Transport Association (IATA)
CC: Institut de Formation Interbancaire (INSIG)
CC: World Customs Organization (WCO)
CC: Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
CC: Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors (OGBS)
CC: World Central Bank (SW)
CC: Nigeria Police Force (NPF)
CC: North Yorkshire Police ( UK )
CC: Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

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