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: Mr Mahama Adama <mahamaadama1@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mrmahamaadama@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:21:33 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: From Mr. Mahama Adama,


From Mr. Mahama Adama,

 

This message might meet you in utmost surprise. However,
it's just my urgent need for foreign partner that made me to contact you for
this transaction. I got your contact from internet search while I was searching
for a foreign partner. I am Mr. Mahama Adama. A banker by profession in
Burkina-Faso,  West Africa and currently
holding the post of secretary to the foreign remittance director in our bank. I
need your urgent assistance in transferring the left over funds of ($6.5Million
Dollars) belong to our late customer who died along with his entire family
during the  Iraq crisis.

 

The deceased customer used his wife as the next of kin but
unfortunately the wife died along side with him leaving nobody for the claim.
According to our banking policy if the fund remains unclaimed for the period of
6years then the fund will be transfer into the reserve bank as unclaimed bill.
The question now is who is the government and where is the treasury? And what
can this government do to the society with this money? “Nothing” So I don't
want the fund to go into the government treasury and as such, let's claim the
fund now. You can see the news on BBC and CNN regarding their death. 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/10/11/iraq.deaths/
  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6040054.stm


 

 Hence; I am inviting
you for a business deal because this money can not be approved to a local bank
account here, but can only be approved to any foreign account and foreign
beneficiary because the money is in US dollars and the real owner of the fund
is a foreigner too. And I know that the spirit of this died man will be happy
if we can be able to use this money to help the orphanage and less privileged
once in our society. Am thinking that it will be better than to leave it to the
government, who can not use it for something better, and I want to let you know
that this deal is totally legal and 100% risk free if we can keep it secret so
it must remain between you and me. I have worked with this bank for many years
now and I know all the secrets and I have carefully mapped out perfect
strategies on how to handle this operation successfully.

 

Just as I told you that the depositor is my close friend
before his death, that is the main reason why I'm the only one working at the
bank here that knows much about the existence of this fund and the secrets and
the depositor. We will also use some part of the funds to help the less
privileged children in the world. Hence; I am inviting you for a business deal
where this money can be shared between us in the ratio of 40% for me 40% for
you and 20% will be for the less privileged once in our society. So if you
agree to handle this business with me. Further details of the transfer will be
forwarded to you as soon as I receive your return mail. Please keep this
proposal as a top secret between us and delete it immediately in your mail box
if you are not interested. But if you are interested give me an answer trusting
to hear from you.

 

Thanks & Best Regards,

Sincerely yours.

Mr. Mahama Adama,   

Anti-fraud resources: