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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: craig gordon <cgrdd22@msn.com>
Reply-To: <cgordnn@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 13:42:55 +0000
Subject: Reply Awaiting





I am writing in respect of of some unclaim fund deposited in our bank, I am a banker here in London UK as well as an account officer to our late customer Mr.Christof Gunter a German who died without heir to his fund deposited in our bank thus nobody has come up to stand as the relation to this man. The account was opened in 2007 and has credit balance of 15,200.000.00 GBP (fifteen Million, two Hundred Thousand British Pounds).
The bank will confiscate this fund if nobody come up to claim the amount. Therefore, I wish to let you know that the bank can approve this money to you as a foreigner if you can come up because the former owner of this account a foreigner and dead without leaving beneficiary to this fund so there is nobody to claim this money as his beneficiary, I want to assure you that there is no risk in this transaction as I have made all the necessary arrangements for the successful transfer of this money.
I will use my influence in the bank to implement legal approvals and onward transmission of this money to your account with appropriate clearance from ministries and foreign exchange departments. At the conclusion of this transaction, you will be given 40% of the total amount, while 60% will be for me.
However, I wish to let you know that this business requires to be kept as a top secret until the fund is transfer to your account, the secret of this transaction is as well as the success of it therefore let this be only be an exclusive information for both of us. And please accept my sincere apology keep my confidence and disregard this mail if you are not interested in this business.
Earliest reply waited.
Yours Sincerely,
Craig Gordon

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