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.Patrick Joseph" <mrpatrickjos8@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:29:55 +0000
Subject: Please i need your help

The Director incharge of Head of Operations Development
Africa Development Bank, Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.

Dear Friend,

I have picked up the trust and courage to write you this letter with
divine confidence that you are a reliable and honest Person who will
assist me for this important business transaction. My spirit directed
me to contact you in this transaction; I never know you in my person
and I would like to know you more.

My name is Mr.Patrick Joseph, Director incharge of Head of Operations
with this Africa Development Bank of (ADB) in Ouagadougou, Burkina
Faso. There is an account opened in this bank in 2005 and since 2006
nobody has operated on this account after the death of an account
owner. Then after going through some old files during last year audit
to verify the heir of the fund, I discovered that the customer died
with his entire family.

The owner of this account died since 2006. He has no relative here and
his Company has been closed and no person knows about this account or
any thing concerning it, the account has no next of kin and my
investigation proved to me as well that his company does not know
anything about this account and the amount involved is
(US$13,500,000.00) Thirteen million Five Hundred thousand United
States Dollars. This amount I mentioned is without the interest of the
money, it is the subject amount which the man deposited in this bank.

I want this total sum (US$13,500,000.00) Thirteen million Five Hundred
thousand United States Dollars to be transferred into a safe foreign
account abroad. I am contacting you based on the fact that you are a
foreigner because this money can only be approved for payment to a
foreigner. I know that this proposal will come to you as a surprise as
we don't know each other before. But all is well ; let us use our
identity card to recognize each other. And so, i want you to reply
this message with a copy of your identity card and i will send you
mine in return including the bank text of application which you have
to fill and send to the bank immediately for the transaction to begin
because if we delay until 2014, the bank will confiscate the fund and
direct it into its treasury because the rules permits that after ten
years, any account under dormant will be confiscated.

I suggested that our percentage shall be 40% for you while 60% is for
me as soon as you confirm the total sum into your bank account. I will
come over to your country for sharing of the money.

I will be waiting for your urgent response.

Regards,
Mr.Patrick Joseph.

Anti-fraud resources: