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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "ECOWAS COMMISSION,ACCRA" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <gbehovictorjames@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:39:03 -0800
Subject: Ref:Payment of Contractual Obligation (From the ECOWAS Commission,Accra.)

ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (E.CO.W.A.S)
REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, ACCRA - GHANA.
Tel/fax: +233-541-275-323

Dear Beneficiary,

ECOWAS aims to promote co-operation and integration in economic, social and cultural activity, ultimately leading to the establishment of an economic and monetary union through the total integration of the national economies of member states.

Due to the complaints received from Foreign beneficiaries of Funds and Investors arising from the delay in receiving their long expected proposed investments funds from their African partners to their nominated Overseas bank account, it has been discovered that majority of these cases has been due to the illegal activities of some top Officials operating in some of the major banking Institutions within and outside of the Sub-Region; and these incessant complaints has raised a lot of concerns to ECOWAS and the Council of Presidents of the Sub-regional body.

In order to find an immediate solution to this problem, the Governing Council of ECOWAS has inaugurated a Presidential Special Audit Committee to verify, certify and if need be make final payment to genuine beneficiaries. The Presidential Special Audit Committee is made up of the following principal officers;

1) The Governor of Central Bank of West African States/BCEAO, Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire)
2) The Hon. Ministers of Finance of the 15 (Fifteen) West African Countries and/or its representative,
3) The President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, Accra (Ghana)
4) The Accountant General of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, Abuja (Nigeria)
5) The Auditor General of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States. Lome (Togo)

Our primary assignment also includes looking into the prevailing liquidity problems affecting the various Banking & Financial Institutions with an express mandate to make funds available for immediate payment to beneficiaries. As the President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, I have been delegated with the primary responsibility of passing this information to you.

In our preliminary investigation, the Committee has been able to identify the major impediment to the payment of your claims. This is as a result of the prevailing corrupt practices being perpetrated by some of the top Financial and Banking regulators bordering on greed and personal interest. Thus most of them have either been arrested or charged to Court or are under scrutiny and investigation. However some have managed to escape out of the region unknowingly to the Presidential Investigation Team (P.I.T).

Furthermore, during one of the auditing exercise conducted in some of the Banks, funds running into hundreds of millions of United States Dollars earmarked and earlier approved for payment to various recipients/beneficiaries were discovered trapped in the SUSPENSE BANK ACCOUNT of these institutions primarily due to the illegal activities of same crop of incompetent Financial Managers and their Government collaborators. Your name was found among the Thirty Three (33) other beneficiaries whose funds have been trapped in the confines of these Banks with total depository figure amounting to USD$527,974.761.75.Investigation has also revealed that some of these dismissed bank Directors and others awaiting prosecution have been secretly nursing political ambitious with proceeds derived from these unclaimed funds. Thus immediate measures have to be taken in the interest of not only the Regional Body but also in the National Security interest of member states.

Sir, in one of our other investigation at the Western Union Head Quarters Office, It was also discovered that an enormous amount of funds have been sent by your fellow beneficiaries and/or their agents to Personal Secretaries of unknown Generals, Fictitious Barristers and discredited Police Commanders and Government Officials, impersonators of Senior Officers of the Customs & Excise Preventive Services. e.t.c; some even went as far as proclaiming the name of the President of the Republic ,Vice-President, Ministers and Judges thus bringing the name of Member Governments to disrepute. All these information, were gotten through confessional statements from some of these scammers operating here in Accra and some neighboring countries like Togo Republic , Benin Republic , Nigeria , Cote d'Ivoire etc. The Local Law enforcement Agency is currently conducting its own independent investigation.

Sir, in your own very interest, you are hereby advised to desist and discontinue any further communication or transaction with these unscrupulous individuals. This will enable this Committee to perform its duty without much hindrance towards securing the release and final remittance of your funds into your nominated bank account. You can however direct any of the so-called Officials to my Office for proper identification, screening and clarifications.

You are hereby requested, as a matter of urgency, upon receipt of this message to contact this Office immediately for the processing and release of your funds; For further information, you can reach me on my direct line as follows: +233-541-275-323

Yours Sincerely

Ambassador James Victor Gbeho
President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, Accra,
Tel: +233-541-275-323 ,203.130.195.21
Email: ecowascommissionghana10@gmail.com
http://www.comm.ecowas.int/dept/stand.php?id=a__profile&lang=en



Cc: 1) Council of Presidents, Abuja
2) Council of Ministers of Finance, Accra
3) Governor of Central Bank of West Africa/BCEAO, Abidjan


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