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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: <veronica-bongo@hotmail.fr>
Reply-To: Array: ;
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:42:22 +0100 (BST)
Subject: HELLO


My dear,
 
Veronica Bongo Ondimba is my name, a stepdaughter to the Late Gabonese Head of State El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba who passed on in his sick bed in Barcelona Spain on the morning of June 8 2009. check below the website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8094606.stm
 
My mother was a concubine to the late president. Since the death of my Stepfather, there have been serious problems in the family concerning the wealth he amassed over the years as the President of Gabon. My elderly Step brothers made it clear to me and my siblings that I am not welcomed in any of the presidential houses since my mother is not legally married to Late President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba. Due to these developments, my mother has broken down with illnesses that have rendered her almost incapacitated.
 
Luckily for me, prior to my Stepfather’s death, he made available the sum of Twenty One Million, Eight Hundred United States Dollars $21.8m available to my Mother for the purchase of luxurious apartments and Holiday resorts. For this, my Stepfather successfully deposited this money in a bank in Cote d'Ivoire.
The said sum was deposited with a bank and the whole documentation was handed over to my Mother. As I and my mother managed to escape house arrest in Gabon as planned by my Stepbrothers.
 
The crux of this letter is for you an entrepreneur to help me and my surviving family in investing this lump sum in a profitable venture in your country since is the only thing we have left as a source of livelihood. For your anticipated assistance, 35% of the entire amount that will be released to you will be yours while 65% for us. I will also like to join you in your country when the money is transferred to you. In your reply to this mail, endeavor to provide me with your personal  email address, telephone and fax numbers for easier communication with you at all time.
 
Please help.
Miss Veronica Bongo Ondimba

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