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: "John Lee" <jhn.lee@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 20:52:21 +0100
Subject: PLEASE GET BACK TO ME IMMEDIATELY



Dear Sir,

I am John Lee, a Business Relationship Manager for the
Guangdong Development Bank in China{Record and files
department}.I am contacting you with regards the estate of
late David Mendes and an investment placed in our bank
8years ago.

It is important you keep the contents of this mail
confidential and respect the integrity of the information
you come by as a result of this mail. I contact you
independently and no one is informed of this
communication. In 2003,Mr David Mendes; came to our bank to
engage in business discussions with our private banking
division. He
informed us that he had a financial portfolio of 8.5 million
United
States dollars, which he wished to have us invest on his
behalf.

Based on my advice, we invested the money around various
opportunities and made attractive margins for our first
months of operation, the accrued profit and interest stood
at this point at over 11 million United States Dollars. In
mid 2006, he instructed that the principal sum (8.5M) be
liquidated because he needed to make an urgent
investment requiring cash payments in Hong Kong. We got in
touch with a specialist bank in Hong Kong the Chong Hing
Bank
who agreed to receive this money for a fee and make cash
available to the Mr David Mendes. However Chong Hing Bank
got
in touch with us last year that this money has not been
claimed and the money was returned to Guangdong bank in
China. On further
enquiries we found out that Mr David Mendes has passed away,
which means he died intestate. He has no next of kin and
this is the
reason I am contacting you.

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his
file, you will be made the beneficiary of these funds. My
bank will contact you informing you that money has been
willed to you. On verification, which will be the details I
make available to my bank, my bank will make payments to
you. You do not have to have known him. I know this might be
a bit heavy for you but please trust me on this.
For all your troubles I propose that we split the money in
half. In
the banking circle this happens every time. The other option
is that the money will revert back to the state. Nobody is
getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold
the KEY to these funds, and as a Chinese National we see so
much cash and funds being re-assigned daily. I would want us
to keep communication for now
strictly by the above contact details. Please, again, note I
am a
family man; I have a wife and child. I send you this mail
not without a measure of fear as to the consequences, but I
know
within me that nothing ventured is nothing gained and that
success and riches never come easy or on a platter of gold.
This is the one truth I have learned from my private banking
clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one
accord, we should act swiftly on this.
Email: jhn.lee@hotmail.co.uk

Please get back to me immediately via the above contact
details.

I await your response.

Anti-fraud resources: