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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.James Morgan" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mr.jamesmorgan255@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2013 16:45:33 -0600
Subject: I await your response.

Principal Assurance
Republic Bank Limited.
Trinidad & Tobago
E-mail.mr.jamesmorgan255@yahoo.com
 
Attention : Sir/Madam,
 
I am Mr.James Morgan Principal Assurance Manager for the (UBS AG) Union Bank of Switzerland
 
.I posted this mail to you purposely from Trinidad & Tobago for the sake of confidentiality.
 
I am getting in touch with you regarding the Estate of a deceased client with similar last
 
name and an investment placed under our Bank management 7years ago. I would respectfully
 
request that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of
 
the information you may 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, who share the last name
 
with you, came to our bank to engage in business discussions with our private banking
 
division. He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of 9.35 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 months of operation, the accrued profit and interest stood at this
 
point at over 11million United States Dollars. In mid 2008, he instructed that the principal
 
sum (9.35M) be liquidated because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash
 
payments in Trinidad & Tobago . We got in touch with a specialist Bank in Trinidad & Tobago
 
the Republic Bank Limited. who agreed to receive this money for a fee and make cash
 
available to him. However Republic Bank Limited got in touch with us last year that this
 
money has not been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that he involved in an
 
accident in France , which means he died intestate. He has no next of kin before he died and
 
that is the reason I am writing you because you share the same last name.
 
 
What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, you will be made the
 
beneficiary of these funds. My bank will contact you informing you that money has been
 
willed to you. On verification, which will be the details I make available to my bank, my
 
bank will instruct Republic Bank Limitedr to make payments to you. You do not have to have
 
known him. 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. The other option is that the money will revert back to the state. Nobody is
 
getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold the KEY to these funds, and as a
 
Swiss National we see so much cash and funds being re-assigned daily. I would want us to
 
keep communication for now strictly by email.
 
 
Please, I am a family man; I have a wife and children. I send you this mail not without a
 
measure of fear as to 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 on any of
 
these my personal email addresses;mr.jamesmorgan255@yahoo.com
 
I await your response.
Mr.James Morgan

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