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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: "Salvatore Gallardo." (may be fake)
Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 10:51:17 +0200
Subject: PRIVATE EMAIL FROM BARRISTER SALVATORE GALLARDO

Attention:Sir/Ma,
Email: salvatore_gallardo@aol.com

It’s my pleasure to inform you of a transaction I think you will like to part take despite we don’t know each other, I have sent this email to you hoping to get a positive and sincere response in other to go into a transaction that would bring fortune to us. I am Barrister Salvatore Gallardo a Greek/Spanish national, a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney to a client who was a Foreign Contractor Engineer and has spent most of his life here in Spain.

On the 20th Aug 2008, my client, his wife and their only son were involved in a Madrid plane crash, unfortunately my client just give up immediately he was rush to the hospital including his wife and only son whom was unidentified from the crash site. Since then I have made several enquiries to his embassy to locate any of his extended relatives but all efforts was unsuccessful.

You can check the plane crash from youtube or Google website: Spanair-plane-crash

After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact you and solicit for your assistance as a foreigner to execute the claim of this fund. I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the assets and Capital valued at € 8.5 million Euro (Eight million five hundred thousand Euro Only) left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Bank in Madrid Spain, where this deposits were lodged. The said Bank has issued me a notice to provide the Next of Kin or have the account confiscated within the thirty-one Official working days.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for more than 3 years now, I seek the consent to present you as the Next of Kin to the deceased since no-one has come for the fund, so that this fund can be transfer to your bank account cause the request of a foreigner as the Next of Kin in this transaction is occasioned by the fact that my client was a foreigner and the money cannot be paid into a local bank here. So it will be better for you to stand as the Next of Kin to my client. Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer. I have all necessary information and legal documents, deposit certificate needed to back you up for this claim. If you understand what that means, you will also get to understand I have the legal rights to choose whoever I wish to stand as Next of Kin to my client.

All I require from you is your honest cooperation to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please reply if interested, Email at; salvatore_gallardo@aol.com. Awaiting to hear from you.

Yours sincerely,
Barr. Salvatore Gallardo.

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