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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: "U.S. Department of State" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <williamjburn@blumail.org>
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2013 21:05:09 -0500
Subject: Your Card Is Ready

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Department of Finance and Administration
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520

Acting in our capacity as the Apex body authorized by the US Government to reconcile compensation foreign payments, we are pleased to inform you that full clearance has been granted for the release of the sum of $6,500,000.00 dollars being the value of the reimbursement payment approved in your favor for immediate release.

Please note that your compensation payment has been approved for immediate release and transfer into your bank account as the sole beneficiary with irrevocable Payment Router #: BOA-XXCL-753-082-12 issued and signed by the Financial Officer to enhance our domestic security and this payment has been authorized to be paid out to you via an ATM CARD through the Zenith Bank and BANK OF AMERICA.

For your confirmation, the $6,500,000.00 dollars has been programmed into an ATM PLATINUM CARD and it is ready for delivery to your address via FEDEX. However, the delivery of the ATM CARD to you via FEDEX is free because all fees connected with the delivery via FEDEX has been paid, but you must re-establish your Payment Allocation from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for a cost of $499.00 before the ATM CARD delivery can go through. It is 100% Tax-Free, which means the funds are bonded and nothing can be deducted from it before you make your transfer. And this cost must be paid by wire transfer into the Bank of America account to avoid any kind of blunder. Don’t reply this message if not ready or capable to pay for the [FSA] for a cost of $499.00.

Please ensure that you confirm the details of your delivery address again to avoid error, your immediate attention and compliance will be in your best interest. Kindly provide me with the below details in your response to this email.
1. Valid Delivery Address:
2. Full Names:
3. Phone Number:
4. Other Email:
5. Occupation:
6. Present Country:
7. Age:
8. Sex:
Yours truly,
William J. Burns
Deputy Secretary of State
Te/Fax: 1-424-265-6433
Cell: (310) 742-3374
E-mail: williamjburn@blumail.org

Anti-fraud resources: