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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: Miss Aisha Al-Mahmudi <worldinformation@att.net>
Reply-To: aishaaimahmudi@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:06:18 +0200
Subject: GREETINGS FROM LIBYA!!!

Dear Friend,

First I must apologize for disturbing you at this hour, I shouldn’t have done this but due to the matter of the transaction that I have at hand, I decided to do this. I am sorry for my poor English, I am not an English speaking person. My name is Aisha Al-Mahmudi, the daughter of Baghdadi Mahmudi. My father is the Secretary to the General People’s Committee (Prime Minister) of Libya. My father has been the Prime Minister of Libya since March 5th, 2005 till date. I am an undergraduate student at the university and I have the age of 18 years old.

I was asked by my father to seek for the assistance of any Foreign business person who can assist us in this transaction and due to my inexperience in business, I don’t know how to go about things. I found your contact information on the internet from the International Chamber of Commerce website. I am contacting you because my father had deposited the sum of $30,000,000.00 (Thirty Million United States Dollars) with a Security House in Accra Ghana since 17th day of May, 2009. He deposited this money there for security reasons. He deposited the money in collaboration with our country President but the President has forgotten about this deposit.

Because of the problem going on in my country now, everybody is scared of living in Libya now. People are dying everyday and houses are being destroyed so everybody is trying to find a way to go out of the country. I have managed to escape from the country to Accra – Ghana. My father cannot travel for now because he is the Prime Minister over there and he must stay to see that peace is done in the country. I am contacting you now to assist me and claim the money deposited in the company in Ghana. My father gave me all the documents concerning this deposit and has promised that this money is not an illegal money therefore you should not entertain any fear at all in helping me.

In accordance to this, he has accepted to compensate you with 25% of the total sum after we have successfully claim the deposit and also you will assist me to manage the money in a good business until when I get to the age of 24. I will stay under you as your child and you will be my guardian for that period of time till I come of age to manage any business you should introduce me to. I will not write much for now because this is our first email message together, I will wait to hear from you then I will give you more information about this transaction.

Thanks for your kind understanding while waiting for your favorable response.

Yours sincerely
Miss Aisha Al-Mahmudi


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