joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "barrister philip Chase" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <barrister.phchase@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:08:10 +0800
Subject: Until i hear from you

Dear,
It is not my intention to introduce myself to you through this unconventional means, but my consideration was based on speed, reliability and trust. I got your email from the online data base. I am a young fresh graduate from law school. I advertised my profile on some business magazines and i was surprised to be contacted by wife of Shukri Ghanem, who was the former Libyan prime minister and oil minister who was found dead in Vienna last year.
The wife contacted me because she feels as a young lawyer i will be determining to accept her reason for contacting me which i did. She told me that her late husband deposited in two accounts the sum of $23m and another $14.8m in two fixed deposit account with EON bank of Malaysia. She told me the two account has matured but she cannot come out of her hiding since her where about is still been sought by the new Libya transitional government. More over the money was deposited with a different name by her late husband to avoid detection. She asked me to solicit for a foreign individual who can stand as beneficiary of the two accounts to receive the money and in turn transfer to her own account. By this way beat any detection from the Libya transitional government.
I could not believe her at first because i am a fresh graduate. But as a lawyer i have all the knowledge to guide me on how to make verification and how to go about her proposal. I did my revivifications and discovered what she said is true as relate to the two account she mentioned. I have also enquired from the bank on the process of putting up a claim for the money and the bank gave me the modalities for claim.
But to do this i need a foreign individual who will assist logistically and financially in the process of putting up legal claim for the deposites.This is why i contacted you.
Mrs. Ghanem agreed that the claimant will take 25% of the total money claimed. And i will have 10%, while she retain 65%.I will give you more details for verification when i receive your interest to stand as the claimer.
I therefore will like you to work with me and i will process papers showing you are the beneficiary of the deposited fund and it will be paid to you within 3 working days. I want you to accept this offer without any fear as i am in the position to disclose who the right beneficiary is to my bank. If you accept write me back and i will tell you what we will do to accomplish this.
Though i write you hoping we can work together on this. However if you are not capable please do let me know so i look for alternatives as i do not have much time on this
Until i hear from you.

Barrister.Philip Chase

Anti-fraud resources: