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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: dr brown <drgeorge.brown29@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2011 22:17:46 +0100
Subject: Reply back

My dear,

My name is Philomena Brown the manager, Credit and Foreign bills of
Fidelity Bank Ghana. I am writing in respect of a foreign customer
of our bank with account number -908-14-255-114 whose name is Cho,
Kwiyoung (Mr.), an American citizen who died in a plane crash [Korean
Air Flight 801] with the whole passengers on-board on August 6,1997.
And for your perusal you can view this
website:http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list

Since the demise of this customer, I personally has watched with keen
interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one
has come to claim his funds of US$45.5M (Forty-five Million Five
Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) which has been with our branch
for a very long time.

On this note, I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the
Next of Kin as no one has come up as his next of kin. And the banking
ethics here does not allow such money to stay more than Twenty years,
because the money will be recalled to the bank treasury as unclaimed
fund after this period. I want you to easily make this deal claim.


Upon the receipt of your response, I will let you know how we can proceed
with the transfer of the fund into your bank account in your country.

Please take note my husband is the only one I have discussed this
business with and we both agree to do it with you,he answers my phone
anytime I am not around my phone or at work,feel free to call my
Husband for security of this business please be discussing with my
husband on the phone while I will be arranging everything in the bank
for smooth Transaction,it will be completed within five banking days
of receiving your response,after you apply to the bank as a relation
to the deceased. When you receive this letter.Kindly send me a fax via
my above number or send me an e-mail: drgeorge.brown29@gmail.com or
call me signifying your decision.

Waiting to hear from you.


Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Philomena Brown
Manager Credit and Foreign Bills
Fidelity Bank, Ghana

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