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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: webster lee <websterl944@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:21:59 +0100
Subject: Business Proposal


Global Head of Equities Research
UBS Investment Bank London
1 Finsburyf Avenue London EC2M 2AN

My Dear Friend,

My name is Dr. Randy Lee Webster, UBS Investment Bank Global Head of
Equities Research. I have decided to seek a confidential co-operation with
you in the execution of the deal described here-under for our both mutual
benefit and hope you will keep it a top secret because of the nature of the
transaction. During the course of our bank yearly auditing, I discovered an
unclaimed/abandoned fund, sum total of £ 15.000,000.00 GBP (Fifteen Million
British Pounds sterling) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign
customers (Late Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the youngest son of Muammar Gaddafi
the president of Libya), who unfortunately lost his life in a NATO air raid
against Gaddafi’s residence killed Gaddafi’s youngest son Saif al-Arab
Gaddafi in May 1, 2011.

Now our bank has been waiting for any of the relatives to come-up for the
claim but nobody has done that. I personally has been unsuccessful in
locating any of the relatives because of the ongoing war in Libya and nobody
knows about this account. I sincerely seek your consent to present you as
the next of kin / Will Beneficiary to the deceased so that the proceeds of
this account valued at {GBP£ 15 Million British Pounds Sterling} can be paid
to you, which we will share in these percentages ratio, 60% to me and 40% to
you.
I choose you because of geographical location of your country and your
address from a business directory here in London chamber of commerce. All
that I require from you is your sincere co-operation; trust and utmost
confidentiality to enable us conduct this transaction successfully. I assure
you that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement
that will protect you from any breach of the law both in your country and
here in London once the fund is transferred to your bank account. Upon your
consideration and acceptance of this offer, please proceed immediately and
send to me the following information.

-Your Full Name,
-Your Contact Address
-Your Direct Mobile Telephone Number.
-Your Age

This information will enable me to upload your data into our bank database
to reflect in the bank network system that you are the named next of
kin/will beneficiary of this fund and I will guide you on how to open
communication with the bank and make the claims for onward transfer of the
fund to you. Please note that we have few days to carry out this deal.
Thanking you in anticipation for your prompt response.

Regards,

Dr. Randy Lee Webster
Global Head of Equities Research UBS
Investment Bank London
Finsburyf Avenue London EC2M 2AN

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