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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: "Ronald Barry Keys" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <rbarrykeys@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2012 12:56:08 +0200
Subject: ATTN: Sir/Madam

Dr. Ronald Barry Keys
4047 Peters Rd , Plantation , FL 33317-4537
District Attorney
Queens County , NY






Date:09/07/2012

Sir/Madam

I am Dr. Ronald Barry Keys, a Principal Manager at TD BANK and a District

Attorney in Queens County , NY . I got your email contact from South African

online business journal. I am getting in touch with you regarding the estate

of Mr. Kruger Van Rensburg and investment placed under our banks management 8

years ago. I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this

mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by as

a result of this mail. I contact you independently and no one is informed of

this communication. In 2004, the subject matter; Mr. Kruger Van Rensburg came

to our bank to engage in business discussions with our private banking

division. He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of 9.5 Million

United States Dollars, which he wished to have us invest on his behalf.

Based on my advice, we spun the money around various opportunities and made

attractive margins for our first years of operation, the accrued profit and

interest stood at this point at over 15 Million USD. In mid-2008, he

instructed that the principal sum (9.50M) be liquidated because he needed to

make an urgent investment requiring cash payments in Venezuela and Canada .

We got in touch with Bank of America (BOA) who agreed to receive this money

for a fee and make cash available to Mr.Kruger Van Rensburg. However Bank of

America (BOA) got in touch with us late last year that this money has not

been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Mr.Kruger Van Rensburg

was involved in an accident in Mainland Venezuela , which means he died

intestate. He has no next of kin and the reason I am writing you is because

you are from same nationality.

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will be

made the beneficiary of these funds and the bank will contact you informing

you that money has been willed to you, on verification of the necessary

documentation which I will provide to you, Bank of America (BOA) will

instruct the payment to your nominated account. I know this might be a bit

heavy for you but please trust me on this. For all your troubles I propose

that we split the money in half. In the banking circle this happens every

time. Nobody is getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold

the KEY to these funds, and as a U.S Citizen we see so much cash and funds

being re-assigned daily.

Please, again, note I am a family man; I have a wife and children. I send you

this mail not without a measure of fear as I know 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 clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we

can be of one accord, we should act swiftly on this. Please get back to me

immediately.

I await your response.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Ronald Barry Keys
4047 Peters Rd , Plantation , FL 33317-4537
District Attorney
Queens County , NY

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