joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Terence P.McCulley" <usambasadortonigeria@qatar.io>
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:56:58 +0100
Subject: US AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA

US AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA
11 GARKI ROAD ABUJA
ABUJA, NIGERIA
ATTN:

Attention My name is Terence Patrick McCulley, the new
United States Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The United States Senate had confirmed my nomination on
August 5 2010 after being nominated for this position by
U.S. President Barack Obama on June 28, 2010. My credentials
as the new Ambassador appointed were presented to His
Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at the
Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria, on November 2, 2010.

I am a career member of the senior Foreign Service with the
rank of Minister-Counselor whose diplomatic career has been
spent mostly in Africa or working on African issues. I
served most recently as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the
U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, DenmarK. Prior to this, I was
the U.S. Ambassador to Mali, and I have served as Deputy
Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Tunisia, Senegal
and Togo.

Other overseas postings include Niger, South Africa, India
and Chad. In Washington, I was the senior desk officer for
Zaire (now Democratic Republic of
the Congo), and Deputy Coordinator for Iraq Assistance. I
hold Bachelor of Arts degree in European history and French
language and literature in University of Oregon in Eugene,
and I also attend the Universitй de Haute Bretagne in
Rennes, France, from 1979-1980 as a Rotary Foundation
Graduate Fellow, and also attend the Fletcher School of Law
and Diplomacy.

HOWEVER I SHALL BE COMING TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR AN OFFICIAL
MEETING AND I WILL BE BRINGING YOUR DELAYED FUND OF $15.5M
ALONG WITH ME BUT THIS TIME I WILL NOT GO THROUGH CUSTOMS
BECAUSE AS AN AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA, I AM A US GOVERNMENT
AGENT AND I HAVE THE VETO POWER TO GO THROUGH CUSTOMS.

YOU HAVE REALLY PAID SO MUCH IN THIS DELIVERY THAT MAKES ME
WONDER. YOU ARE A VERY LUCKY PERSON BECAUSE I SHALL BE
BRINGING IT MYSELF AND THERE IS NOTHING
ANYONE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

SO RE-CONFIRM THE INFORMATION BELOW SO THAT THERE WILL NOT
BE ANY MISTAKES:

1) YOUR FULL NAME:
2) YOUR CURRENT HOUSE ADDRESS:
3) DIRECT TELEPHONE:
4) OCCUPATION & AGE:

AS SOON AS I AM THROUGH WITH THE MEETING I SHALL THEN
PROCEED TO YOUR ADDRESS.

MY FLIGHT IS THIS MONTH AND I EXPECT YOU TO COMPLY BEFORE
THEN SO THAT THE DELIVERY CAN BE COMPLETED. IF YOU DO NOT
COMPLY, THEN IT WILL NOT BE MY FAULT IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE
YOUR PACKAGE.

REGARDS,
US AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA

US AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA
11 GARKI ROAD ABUJA
ABUJA, NIGERIA
ATTN:

Attention My name is Terence Patrick McCulley, the new
United States Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The United States Senate had confirmed my nomination on
August 5 2010 after being nominated for this position by
U.S. President Barack Obama on June 28, 2010. My credentials
as the new Ambassador appointed were presented to His
Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at the
Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria, on November 2, 2010.

I am a career member of the senior Foreign Service with the
rank of Minister-Counselor whose diplomatic career has been
spent mostly in Africa or working on African issues. I
served most recently as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the
U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, DenmarK. Prior to this, I was
the U.S. Ambassador to Mali, and I have served as Deputy
Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassies in Tunisia, Senegal
and Togo.

Other overseas postings include Niger, South Africa, India
and Chad. In Washington, I was the senior desk officer for
Zaire (now Democratic Republic of
the Congo), and Deputy Coordinator for Iraq Assistance. I
hold Bachelor of Arts degree in European history and French
language and literature in University of Oregon in Eugene,
and I also attend the Universitй de Haute Bretagne in
Rennes, France, from 1979-1980 as a Rotary Foundation
Graduate Fellow, and also attend the Fletcher School of Law
and Diplomacy.

HOWEVER I SHALL BE COMING TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR AN OFFICIAL
MEETING AND I WILL BE BRINGING YOUR DELAYED FUND OF $15.5M
ALONG WITH ME BUT THIS TIME I WILL NOT GO THROUGH CUSTOMS
BECAUSE AS AN AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA, I AM A US GOVERNMENT
AGENT AND I HAVE THE VETO POWER TO GO THROUGH CUSTOMS.

YOU HAVE REALLY PAID SO MUCH IN THIS DELIVERY THAT MAKES ME
WONDER. YOU ARE A VERY LUCKY PERSON BECAUSE I SHALL BE
BRINGING IT MYSELF AND THERE IS NOTHING
ANYONE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

SO RE-CONFIRM THE INFORMATION BELOW SO THAT THERE WILL NOT
BE ANY MISTAKES:

1) YOUR FULL NAME:
2) YOUR CURRENT HOUSE ADDRESS:
3) DIRECT TELEPHONE:
4) OCCUPATION & AGE:

AS SOON AS I AM THROUGH WITH THE MEETING I SHALL THEN
PROCEED TO YOUR ADDRESS.

MY FLIGHT IS THIS MONTH AND I EXPECT YOU TO COMPLY BEFORE
THEN SO THAT THE DELIVERY CAN BE COMPLETED. IF YOU DO NOT
COMPLY, THEN IT WILL NOT BE MY FAULT IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE
YOUR PACKAGE.

REGARDS,
US AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA

Anti-fraud resources: