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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: Paul Moody <fred_omega_gh@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:43:38 +0000
Subject: Treat as Urgent

Dear Beneficiary,

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the
Regional Accountant of the affiliated Bank of America. Ghana/Accra it is my
duty to send in a financial report to my head office, at the end of each
business year. In the course of last year 2011, business report, I
discovered that my branch in which I am the Accountant made six hundred
thousand US dollars (US$ 600,000) which my head office in Ghana is not
aware of and will never be aware of. This money belong to your country who
live with his family here in Ghana, but they all died in a car accident on
a vacation visit to Jasper Florida.

Meanwhile, my affiliated bank of American USA has ordered me to look for
the beneficiary of this man from your country to receive this money. so my
aim of contacting you is to act as the beneficiary of this man and receive
this money in your bank account and get 50% of the total funds as
commission. 10% for expenses procure. There are practically no risk in this
business, it will be a bank to bank transfer, all I need from you is to act
as the beneficiary of this funds, who made the deposit with my branch so
that my head office in USA can order the transfer to your designated bank
account.



Cheers




Paul Moody

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