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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: bismark nana <nanabismark01@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:38:17 +0100
Subject: Business assistance

My name is Barrister Nana Bismark
A senior Government Lawyer with Crystal Trust Financial Company here in
Accra Ghana. West Africa

I need your assistance as a humanitarian in repatriating funds and 200
kilograms of gold deposited by a late client; Mr. Hussien Omar.

This man who is an Iraqi National and a gold merchant, who runs gold
business in Ghana to Asia, who died 5 years ago with his family in a bomb
explosion in Iraq.

Previously, Mr. Hussien Omar Deposit a trunk box, valued at an amount of
US$11,600,000.00 (Eleven Million, Six Hundred Thousand United States
dollars) for six years now in Crystal Trust Financial Company. I therefore
contact you in good faith to see how best we can both work this together and
invest this fund in a reliable business in Iraq.

With my personality as a lawyer, this has been quite confidential for some
years now. I write this to request your personal assistance to receive the
fund over there for the purpose of investment.



The fund will be shared in this percentage: (60%) for me and (35%) for you,
the remaining (5%) will be kept to recover any expenses made during the
process of transferring the money to you which includes both our telephone
bills. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

Every attempt to trace any member of his family has proved unsuccessful and
abortive. Actually this transaction is real and one hundred percent risk
free and does not relate to any breach of law or proceeds from drugs.

I will give you more information upon your response to this proposal,
Best Regards
Barrister Nana Bismark

Anti-fraud resources: