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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: "BARRISTER AMBROSA ESQ" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <Barr.ambrosaweb@lawyer.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2011 21:31:26 +0700
Subject: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

This is a personal mail directed to you and I request that it be treated as
such. I am Ambrosa Web, attorney at law. I am the personal attorney/sole
executor to the late Client, here-in after referred to as 'my
client' who worked as an independent oil magnate in my country and who died in a
car crash with his immediate family on 4th of Oct, 2002.
 
Since the death of my client in Oct, 2002, I have written several letters to the
embassy with intent to locate any of his extended relatives whom shall be
claimants/beneficiaries of his abandoned personal estate and all such efforts
have been to no avail.
 
More so, I have received official letters in the last few weeks suggesting a
likely proceeding for confiscation of his abandoned personal assets in line with
existing laws by the bank in which my client deposited the sum of Eighteen
Million Great British Pound (18,000,000 GBP) Upon the receipt of your
reply, I will send you by e-mail the next step to take.
 
I will not fail to bring to your notice that this proposal is hitch-free and that you should not
entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the
completion of this transfer. Like I said, I require only a solemn confidentiality on this.
 
On this note I decided to search for a credible person and finding that you bear
a similar last name, I was urged to contact you, that I may, with your consent,
present you to the "trustee" bank as my late client's surviving family member so
as to enable you put up a claim to the bank in that capacity as a next of kin of
my client. I find this possible for the fuller reasons that you bear a similar
last name with my client making it a lot easier for you to put up a claim in
that capacity. I propose that 50% of the net sum will accrue to you at the
conclusion of this deal in so far as I do not incur further expenses.
 
Therefore, to facilitate the immediate transfer of this fund, you need, first to
contact me via email signifying your interest and as soon as I obtain your
confidence, I will immediately appraise you with the complete details, with
which you are to proceed and I shall direct on how to put up an application to
the bank.
 
My Private Email address: Barr.ambrosaweb@lawyer.com
 
 
Best regards,
Ambrosa Web ESQ

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