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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: wei <john.wei05@yahoo.pl>
Reply-To: wei <john_wei10@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:07:19 +0100 (BST)
Subject: From: Mr John Wei


From: Mr John Wei
 
I know that this will come to you as a
surprise since we don’t know each other before.  For the purpose of
introduction, I am The Former Presidency Director-General, in Ivory
Coast . After due deliberation , I decided to contact you for your
assistance in standing as benefactor to the sum of US$4.5Million (Four
Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) equivalent
because, I and two other colleagues are currently in need of a silent
foreign partner whose identity we can use to transfer the said sum. This
fund accrued legitimately to us as commission from foreign contracts
with Department of Mining & Energy through our private connections.
 
The
fund is presently waiting to be remitted from London in The United
Kingdom to any overseas beneficiary confirmed by me
as associate/receiver. By virtue of my political/religious position in
my country, I cannot acquire this money with my name. For this reason I
took it upon myself to look for an overseas silent partner who could
work with me to facilitate transfer of this fund for our mutual benefit,
hence the reason for this message. What I am requesting from you is:
(1)
To be my silent partner and receive the funds as the sole benefactor to
the contract amount which I shall secure all legal documentation from
Ivory Coast to authenticate my claim on your behalf.
(2) Provide a private telephone number for easy communication under your control.
(3)Receive the funds as the beneficiary,
take
out your commission after tax and keep the rest of the money until I
arrive there to meet you after the transfer is completed.
 
My
proposal is that after you receive the funds, it would be shared as
follows: (1) 20% to you as commission for your co-operation and
assistance in facilitating the transfer from The United Kingdom to any
of your nominated account, while the remaining 80% belongs to me . You
will be free to take out your commission immediately after the money
hits your country. Since my objective is to invest the money in a
foreign country, it would be appreciated if you could also help me with
advices and direction on investing into profitable/lucrative ventures in
your country for an additional 5%. However, this is optional, and if it
is not convenient for you to further assist us with investing the
money, we can end our cooperation after you make available to us our
part of the money.
 
The transaction, although discrete, is
legitimate and the money will be transferred successfully with all
necessary back-up official documents showing legitimate source/origin of
fund. The transfer will be effected within a period not longer than two
weeks as soon as we reach an agreement and you furnish
me with a suitable response indicating your interest for processing the
transfer. I plead with you on one issue, whether you are interested or
not, kindly do not expose this information to any one else. I confirm
that the transaction is legitimate and without any risks either to us or
yourself. Please, give me your response immediately by return mail
 
Yours Truly,
 
Mr. John Wei

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