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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: mark adams <edward_koleen@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: markadams130@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2012 02:43:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Attention From London, May, 2012


Attention From London, May, 2012

Hello dear, 

I presumed that all is well with you and your family. Please let this
proposal not come to you as a surprise, because we haven't met before.
I got your contact information from a web directory few weeks ago
before I decided to contact you on this business opportunity.

My name is Mark Adams; I'm an employee of HSBC UK, am also a member of
an Ad hoc committee recently
set up by the British Government to look
into growing number of dormant accounts in UK banks due to deaths of
customers, with a view to finding ways of locating relatives of the
dead customers. The British Government is already working with some
NGO'S through the unclaimed Assets Register, to confiscate and divert
unclaimed depositor's funds to help revive the ailing economy.

Read this article below:

http://www.unclaimedassets.co.uk/trace_forgotten_funds.htm 

http://www.unclaimed.com/ 

This particular case involves a customer who shares the same surname
with you and also the circumstances surrounding huge deposits of US
Dollars made by this customer at the Private Banking arm of HSBC. This
HSBC Private Banking customer died in testate and nominated no
successor in title over the huge deposits of US$8,500 000.00 Million
made with HSBC UK.

I would respectfully request that you keep
the contents of this email
private and respect the integrity of the information you come by as a
result of this email. I'm contacting you independently of our
investigation and no one is informed of this communication between you
and I. I would like to intimate you with facts that I believe would be
of interest to you.

You share similar details with the dead man; and I'm prepared to place
you in a position to instruct HSBC UK to release the funds to you as
the closest available relative of the deceased. That is, I will simply
nominate you as the next of kin and have them release the deposit to
you. I assure you that I can have the deposit released to you within
few days once you accept this proposal. Upon receipt of the deposit,
I'm prepared to share the money with you 50/50.

I am aware of the consequences of this proposal. I ask that if you
find no interest in this project that you should discard this
mail. I
ask that you do not be vindictive and
destructive. If my offer is of no appeal to you, delete this message
and forget I ever
contacted you. Do not destroy my career because you do not approve of
my proposal. You may not know this but people like me who have made
tidy sums out of comparable situations run the whole private banking
sector. I am not a criminal and what I do, I do not find against good
conscience, this may be hard for you to understand, but the dynamics
of my industry dictates that I make this move.

Such opportunities only come ones in a lifetime. I cannot let this
chance pass me by, for once; I have found myself in total control of
my destiny. These chances won't pass me by. I ask that you do not
destroy my chance, if you will not work with me let me know and let me
move on with my life but do not destroy me. I am a family man and this
is an opportunity to change my life for good.
Moreover, my 12 yrs old
daughter, my only child, is suffering from Leukemia and she needs an
urgent bone marrow surgery in California as advised by my family
doctor. But it will cost me around US$100,000.00 to take her for the
surgery. And that is why Iâ€*m eager to utilize this opportunity since
our family doctor has given my daughter just three months to live.

There is a reward for this project and it is a task well worth
undertaking. I have evaluated the risks and the only risk I have here
is from you refusing to work with me. I am the only one who knows of
this situation, good fortune has blessed you with a name that has
planted you into the center of relevance in my life. Letâ€*s share the
blessing. If you find yourself able to work with me,contact me through
my alternative email: markadams130@yahoo.com

If you give me positive signals, I will initiate this process towards
a conclusion.

I
send you this mail not without a measure of fear as to what the
consequences, but I know within me that nothing ventured is nothing
gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a platter of
gold. This is the one truth I have learned from my private banking
customers. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one accord, we
should plan a meeting, soon.

Anticipating your immediate response.

Mark Adams.


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