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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: "ECONOMIC $ FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION(EFCC)" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <efcc.headdepartment1@yahoo.com.cn>
Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 10:53:15 -0400
Subject: HELP US TO FIGHT CRIME/FRAUD!!!

GOOD DAY TO YOU
 
FIRST WE INTRODUCES THIS COMMISSION, Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) WE FIGHT CYBER CRIME FRAUD SCAM MONEY LAUNDERING IN AFRICA.OUR COMMISSION HAS BEEN IN EXSITANCES SINCE 2004.
 
OUR DUTIES IS TO STOP INTERNET FRAUD SCAM. AS FOR TODAY WE HAVE PUT ALOT OF PEOPLE FRAUDSTERS BEHIND BARS ALOT OF THEM ARE IN JAIL WE GO ALL OVER WORLD TO PICK THESE SCAMMERS/INTERNET FRAUDSTERS.
 
WE HAVE OVER 2,987 OF THEM IN OUR JAILS ROUND AFRICA AND WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR MORE, WE ARE AWARE THAT A LOT OF FOREIGNERS OUT THERE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED TRICKED AND LOST A LOT OF MONEY. TO THIS FRAUDSTERS AFTER PROMISING YOU PERCENTAGES IN THEIR LETTERS FOR YOU TO HELP THEM MOVE FUNDS AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY WILL COLLECT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM YOU MAKING YOU A POOR PERSON.
 
ALL THE AFRICAN CRIME FIGHTERS LEADERS HAS COME TOGETHER TO INFORM THE WORLD WHAT IS GOING ON NOW AND WE HAVE RECOVED OVER $322 MILLION DOLLARS(THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO MILLION DOLLARS) FROM THE PEOPLE WE HAVE BEHIND BARS. THE ONLY REASON WE ARE WRITTING YOU THIS LETTER, IS BECAUSE YOUR NAME WAS GIVEN TO US BY ONE OF THE FRAUDSTERS IN OUR JAIL HOUSE, THAT HE COLLECTED MONEY FROM YOU BY TRICKS.
 
OUR ACTION NOW IS TO REFUND BACK MONEY TO FOREIGNERS WHO LOST MONEY TO THESE THIEFS. WE ARE PAYING THEM BACK FROM THE MONEY WE RECOVERED.
 
WE CAN ONLY REFUND YOUR FUND IF YOUR NAME IS MENTIONED AND YOU SHOW US PROVE OF HOW MUCH YOU LOST.IF THIS LETTER GETS TO YOU THEN YOU ARE MENTIONED. BUT IF ITS GETS TO YOU BY MISTAKE AND YOU HAVE NOT LOST ANY MONEY THEN PLEASE DISREGARD IT.
 
IF YOU KNOW ANY PERSON FAMILY OR FRIEND THAT HAS LOST MONEY TO FRAUDSTARS PLEASE TELL HIM/HER TO WRITE TO THIS COMMISSION WITH PROVES AND WE WILL HANDLE HIS/HER CASE THEN PAY BACK AFTER VERIFICATION AND CONFIRMATION.
WE ARE AWARE THIS FRAUDSTARS HAS BROKEN ALOT OF HOME, MADE ALOT OF PEOPLE TO LOSE THEIR JOB, SELL THEIR PROPERTIES,CLOSED THEIR BUSINESS, PUT MANY PEOPLE ON THE STREET, MADE ALOT TO EVEN LOSE THEIR LIFE. PLEASE YOU ARE TO REACH US IN OUR EMAIL ADDRESS ABOVE FOR FUTHER CLEARIFICATIONS ON HOW YOU ARE TO RECEIVE YOUR LOST FUNDS YOU ARE TO FORWARD YOUR FULL PARTICULARS AND RECENT TELPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS TO OUR EMAIL ADDRESS ABOVE ON IF YOU ARE A VICTIM.
 
AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE YOUR RESPONSE WE WILL ASSIGN A LAWYER TO YOU WHO WILL TURN TO UPDATE YOU AND ENSURE THAT THE FUNDS YOU HAVE ALREADY PAID OUT IS RECOVERED AND HANDED BACK TO YOU AND THE FRAUDSTERS WILL BE PERSECUTED ACCORDINGNLY..BELOW ARE THE INFORMATIONS NEEDED FROM YOU TO ASSIST US IN OUR QUEST.
 
1) Your Full Name, Address, Country, email, Telephone number and Your Occupation.
 
IN REGARD TO FURTHER OUR INVESTIGATION YOU ARE ALSO REQUESTED TO PROVIDE THE BELOW DETAILS OF THE SCAMMERS/INTERNET FRAUDSTERS.
 
2) The Name of the person you are in contact with (SCAMMERS/INTERNET FRAUDSTERS)
3) His/Her email address which is very important SO we can monitor where he/she is sending you the scam email messages from (ORIGINATING IP/ SERVER HOST)
4) His/her telephone and fax number
5) His/her address if any and the Bank/Institution being Impersonated
 
TIME THEY SAY IS THE BEST JUDGE, BUT WE HOPE AND BELIEVE THIS BODY WILL BE ABLE TO UPHOLD JUSTICE AND INTEGRITY.
 
HELP FIGHT CRIME TO MAKE THIS EARTH A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN.
 
REGARDS,
 
FOR FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE PLEASE CONTACT OUR AGENT IN THE PERSON OF..
REV PASTOR MRS VICTORIA JOHN (ACTIVE AGENT)
E-MAIL: efcc.headdepartment1@yahoo.com.cn
 
SINCERELY YOURS
MR. IBRAHIM LAMORDE (ACTIVE CHAIRMAN EFCC)
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION
 

Anti-fraud resources: