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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: "PAUL MARTINS" <albrt01@att.net>
Reply-To: <citibankpoland@globomail.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:03:27 +0200
Subject: URGENT ACTION REQUIRED

ATTN:
 
We write to inform you about what is going on with your delayed payment. Currently your fund is domiciled at Citi bank of Poland. Please be informed that the International bank of settlement have instructed us to act on their valid duly signed order to transfer this funds to a beneficiary called IMAGE ALLIANCE INC., in the United States of America.
 
According to your file with us, you have not ordered or sold your right of beneficiary to any person. If this is true, please your consent is immediately needed for clearance and necessary actions.
 
Secondly, if you have not authorized anybody to act so, do immediately inform this office now for us to facilitate the transfer of your funds to your account within 5 working days.
 
Meanwhile, we have placed the transaction in our computer data base and we shall gazette the accrued interest as soon as the vendor who uses your investment on trade for leverage short period of time submits interest ratio file tomorrow.
 
We await your immediate response.
 
Sincerely yours,
 
Robert Daniel Massey Jnr.

Anti-fraud resources: