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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: "Howard Hughes" <jonsonhodgson@rocketmail.com>
Reply-To: howardhug01@rocketmail.com
Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2012 04:38:51 +1000
Subject: Reply Awaiting



Dear sir/madam

I am writing in respect of 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,
Mr. Howard Hughes
Reply Awaiting

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