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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: "Johnson Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <talk2johnsonsmith71@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:14:14 -0000
Subject: ATTN: BUSINESS TRANSACTION {URGENTLY}

Dear Sir,
 
Re: I Requesting your Emergency Assistance in Transfer of US$35,000,000.00
(Thirty Five million United States dollars)
 
I am the Foreign Relations Affair Manager of a Financial Institution here in Republic
of Ghana, West Africa. I got your contact during my search for a Reliable,
Strong Minded and a Trustworthy Person to entrust this huge transfer claim project. I am a Ghanaian married with two kids, although I am not comfortable to send this proposal to you because of increase in scam and fraud globally especially in Africa, but be assured that this is NO scam because you have access to confirm every information, provided you did not let my Head Officers know the source of your information.
 
I know you may have heard the headlines of international medias/news concerning
the death of Libya leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi who died in the hands of his
countrymen on Thursday 20th October 2011 due to the political crises.
I have contacted you to participate in this deal to stand claim of this huge
fund deposited with my Financial Institution by the Ex-Libyan leader Col. Muammar
Gaddafi. He made this huge fund deposit of US$35,000,000.00
(Thirty Five million United States dollars) with my Financial Institution when
he visited my country Ghana in 2007 during the 9th African Union (AU) Summit held
in Accra, Ghana on the 25th June - 6th July 2007.
 
He made this deposit secretly and only confided in me as the Foreign
Relations Affair Manager and warned me that no body should know about the fund
deposit. The deposit has no beneficiary or next of kin. Col. Muammar Gaddafi did
not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his
fund deposit, and my investigation so far proved to me as well that my Financial
institution does not know anything about the fund depositor's beneficiary.
This is where you play a part in this fund claim process, you can read more about
the Col. Muammar Gaddafi's death on the links below;
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15389550
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44971257/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
http://news.yahoo.com/gaddafis-final-run-end-colonels-long-weird-ride-155604599.
html
 
Now that the depositor Col. Muammar Gaddafi is dead and there is no beneficiary
or next of kin indicated in his official papers, as well his country will definitely
confiscate all his known access and my Financial Institution will also confiscate
his fund if no immediate beneficiary claim is made, this is why i have summoned
up courage to contact you so you can file in claim as the beneficiary while i back
you up with my immunity powers to facilitate the fund released to you as soon as
possible. I intend to part 40% of this total fund to you while 50% for me and 10%
be put aside for any incurred expenses during this claim process.
 
Should you be capable to handle this deal and to work with me, I will appreciate
your timely response for more information. For security reasons, send your
response to this my temporal email at; ........................,  My official email i will use
to send you further e-mails once you accept to work with me in confidence.
 
With warm regards,
Johnson Smith

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