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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: "Mr Zhou zhangzhi" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <z_zhangzhi@live.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:47:11 -0800
Subject: Executive Director, Bank of China (USA)

Mr. Zhou zhangzhi
Executive Director, Bank of China (USA)
42 East Broadway , New York, NY 10002, USA.
 
Greetings to you,
 
I know that this email message will come to you as a surprise but I decided using this medium because it is safest considering the nature of this proposal and the vital information attached to it.
 
I am Mr. Zhou zhangzhi; Executive Director, Bank of China, China Town Branch, New York U.S.A. I write to discuss about an account in my bank under my care. The account belongs to LATE Mr. Ingmar Bergman who died on 30th July 2007. Mr. Ingmar was an account holder in my bank; I was his account officer until his death. Since I got information about his death, I have made efforts to contact any of his family members but all to no avail. Recently, I discovered that Mr. Ingmar died leaving no wife or child to this account and has since been returned to Sweden and buried.
 
I cross checked the deposit files again and I noticed that your name is similar to the mother’s maiden name used in establishing this account, then I decided to contact you to have a secret business deals with you and just with you alone as I have not discuss this matter with anyone neither am I willing to discuss this further with anyone. I want you to come in as the Next of Kin to Mr. Ingmar Bergman and I will be the mastermind behind you and will give you all necessary guidelines to make this claim which is 100% guaranteed.
 
The sum of $85,300,000.00 (Eight Five Million, Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) is what is presently in the account; I have all the title deeds to this fund and will hand them over to you as soon as we commence the transfer process. This account was set up during his years here in New York as a film director and Businessman, he returned to Sweden and was still operating this account online before his death. But since he was the only one that knows that access codes to this account, it has been inaccessible since 6years + now and thereby making the account dormant.
 
You can find out more about him on this website:
 
http://www.nndb.com/people/009/000025931/
 
The banking guidelines stipulate that the fund should be transferred into the bank treasury after 7years if nobody comes for the claim and we are running out of the last quarter of this year meaning that between January and March next year, the fund would be transferred to the bank treasury if no one comes for the claims. I have agreed that 33% of this fund will be for you as my partner in respect to the provision of your account for the transfer and 67% would be for me, after which I shall visit you for disbursement according to the percentage as indicated.
 
Please I would like you to keep this transaction confidential and as a top secret as you may wish to know that I am a bank official and would not want my bank to know that I am behind this transaction.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Mr. Zhou zhangzhi
Executive Director, Bank of China U.S.A

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