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: "MR. VICTOR MANJAREZ JR" (may be fake)
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2012 13:39:21 +0100
Subject: Private / Confidential

Attn: Beneficiary.
 
  I am delighted to contact you on a private note based on  your claim to your contract/ inheritance fund, which has been programmed for transfer into your designated bank  account through my department.
 
  I am hereby apologizing to you- for the delay in realizing  this fund into your account, which was caused by me because of breach agreement between me and your so called partners  in Nigeria who introduced you into this business. Your Nigerian partners approached me that they want to  present you as a beneficiary to this fund as it was an OVER-INVOICING made when they are awarding contract to  foreign firms.  So, after the negotiation, we unanimously  agreed that they (your partners) would give me the sum of  US$200,000.00 (CASH) on my acceptance to assist them to transfer.  As soon as I made some fruitful effort on the  business and demanded my US$200,000.00 as agreed, your partners deviated from the agreement and decided to go  through  at my back and made a change of your bank account in other to disappoint me.  Then I got the knowledge of  their evil plans and proved their illicit efforts abortive.   That is why for many
  I want to re-emphasize to you that your fund is still with  me and under my control.  Now with my whole heart I want to enter into real business with you on a sincere agreement  since your partners has disappeared into tin air and no where to be found and the fund is still floating in your  name waiting for a proper documentation and claim.
 
  1.On an agreement, I assure you that I am going to  transfer  this fund into your account.
  2.You will assure me of keeping my dealings with you to an  utmost secrecy   because of my position.
  3.You will promise to give me 20% of the total fund as  soon as the fund gets   into your account with a written promissory note signed by  you.
  4.I will assist you in making a proper documentation to  make your claim   genuine, as a bonafide Foreign Contractor and the beneficiary  to the said fund.
 
  I am aware that some fraudulent individuals has been  impersonating my name and office to contact you and other contractors as reported by the Nigerian National Petroleum  Corporation (NNPC) authorities.  I advised you that hence forth, you should suspend any dealings from any group of  person(s) either from the (NNPC) or any other financial institution/parastatals in Nigeria or overseas that might  be contacting you in this purpose and endeavor to keep  this information confidential until we finalize this  transaction.  Please reply this message urgently and call  me on my confidential line as soon as you received this  fax.  While waiting for you favorable response.
 
Yours faithfully,
 
  MR. VICTOR MANJAREZ JR
  Telex Director Central Bank Of Nigeria.
  TEL:234-80-98505918
 

Anti-fraud resources: