joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: GHANA REFUGEE BOARD <nixc@leonschools.net>
Reply-To: <mremmanuel@w.cn>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 06:54:11 +0100
Subject: FROM GHANA REFUGEE

GOOD DAY

THIS IS TO OFFICIALLY INFORM YOU THAT YOUR CONSIGNMENT WAS RETURNED TO THIS
OFFICE AS UNDELIVERED. THE SAID BOXES CONTAINED US$8 MILLION UNITED STATES
DOLLARS). WE HAVE AMPLE EVIDENCE HERE WITH US TO CERTIFY THAT YOU ARE THE
LEGALLY APPOINTED BENEFICIARY OF THIS CONSIGNMENT. APPARENTLY, A REFUGEE BOY(NOW
LATE) HAD EARLIER ON APPOINTED OR NOMINATED YOU TO BE HIS FOREIGN BENEFICIARY OF
HIS TRUNK BOXES.

AS IT WERE, ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S DIPLOMATS WAS ASSIGNED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY
TO DELIVER SAME TO YOUR HOME ADDRESS OBVIOUSLY, THE DIPLOMAT COULD NOT COMPLETE
HIS ASSIGNMENT FOR SOME OBSCURE REASONS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE CONSIGNMENT WAS
RETURNED TO THIS OFFICE AS UNDELIVERED. NO SOONER THAN WE RECEIVE YOUR
CONSIGNMENT WE NOTIFIED THE OFFICE OF THE GHANA MINISTER OF INTERIOR, THE
CHAIRMAN LIBERIAN REFUGEE WELFARE COUNCIL, THE CAMP MANAGER OF BUJUBURAM AND IN
CONSONANCE WITH THE GHANA REFUGEE LAW 1992, SECTION 9 (3) WE ARE COMPEL TO
CONTACT YOU BECAUSE ALL DOCUMENTATION CONFIRM THAT YOU ARE THE BENEFICIARY AND
THE ORIGINAL BOY WHO APPOINTED YOU HAS BEEN CERTIFIED DEAD HERE IN THE CAMP.
COPY OF HIS DEATH CERTIFICATE WAS SUBMITTED TO US BY THE CAMP MANAGER .

I WILL ASSIST YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T LOOSE YOUR FUND BECAUSE IN YOUR
DOCUMENTS I HAVE HERE, YOU DID NOT STATE THAT YOUR FUND SHOULD BE USED TO
SUPPORT THIS SCHEME, I AM VERY SURE THERE IS A MISTAKE SOME WHERE THAT WAS WHY I
AM WRITING YOU TO BE SURE AND HOW I CAN HELP YOU DELIVER YOUR BOXES BACK TO YOU
IN YOUR COUNTRY THROUGH A DIPLOMATIC MEANS OR I CAN GO DEPOSIT THE FUNDS AT THE
BANK HERE GHANA TO ENABLE YOU MAKE THE TRANSFER BANK TO BANK WIRE TRANSFER.

THEN WHEN YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR BOXES YOU CAN GIVE ANYTHING TO SUPPORT THIS
SCHEME FROM YOUR OWN FREE WILL.THIS IS TO NOTIFY YOU THAT YOUR FUND HAS BEEN
DEPOSITED WITH A SECURITY COMPANY HERE IN ACCRA GHANA, AS SOON AS WE HEAR FROM
YOU, WE SHALL INSTRUCT THE MANAGEMENT OF THE SECURITY COMPANY EITHER TO TAKE THE
BOX TO THE BANK FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE TRANSFER TO YOUR LOCAL BANK ACCOUNT IN YOUR
COUNTRY OR TO DELIVER THE BOXES TO YOU IN YOUR COUNTRY VIA DIPLOMATIC COURIER
SERVICE YOUR URGENT REPLY WILL FACILITATE THE DELIVERY OF YOUR BOX OR IMMEDIATE
TRANSFER TO YOUR YOUR LOCAL BANK ACCOUNT IN YOU COUNTRY,NOTE YOU HAVE TWO OPTION
TO RECEIVE THIS BOX OF MONEY WORTH US$8 MILLION,EITHER VIA DIPLOMATIC DELIVERY
OR BANK TO BANK WIRE TRANSFER,LET ME KNOW YOUR OPTION. YOU CAN CALL ME
IMMEDIATELY YOU READ THIS MESSAGE WITH MY NUMBERS BELOW;

YOURS FAITHFULLY,
MR. EMMANUEL BENTIL OWUSU
CHAIRMAN GHANA REFUGEE BOARD.

Anti-fraud resources: