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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: "From My Chambers" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mychambers@kimo.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 01:54:20 -0400
Subject: RE: BUSINESS PROPOSITION!!

Hello,
 
Compliment of the season.
 
I am Barrister Jule Osborne, a senior legal consultant and an advisor to Henderson Global Company PLC in the United Kingdom on legal matters. (http://www.henderson.com/Sites/Henderson/Group/AboutUs/TheBoard.aspx)
 
I got your email from the online database in my determination to locate the family members of my deceased client.
 
I am writing you now seeking for your assistance to make the claim of $5.500, 000.00 Five Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars being my deceased client's investment funds in a Financial Istitution since all my effort to reach them proved abortive.
 
I will officially present you as his next of kin since the Financial Istitution had issued to me a notification letter requesting me to provide my deceased client's next of kin else the fund will be remitted into Government treasury.
 
Therefore, it is upon this discovery that I decided to seek for your assistance to present you as the next of kin to my deceased client since the Financial Istitution has given me an ultimatum.
 
Most importantly, you will be required to:
(A). Stand as the beneficiary to receive the investment funds of my deceased client Financial Istitution as I will present you before the firm.
(B). Receive the funds into a business/personal bank account in your country.
(C). At the completion of this transaction, the sharing rates shall be 50% for me, 50% for you.
 
Get back to me with the following details for the pursuant of this claim
 
Full Names:
Contact Address:
Direct Telephone No:
Occupation:
Age and Marital Status:
 
I await your response.
 
Thanks,
Jule Osborne (Esq.)
 
 

Anti-fraud resources: