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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: CLARK LI <INFO@LI.COM>
Reply-To: <clarkli@zsk.name>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 13:40:08 +0200
Subject: fyi



--
Hello

Note: You are the sole recipient so please keep our communication
confidential.

This is Mr. Clark Li, I am the Learning and Development Manager to the
Hang Seng Bank in China. As a matter of fact, I am contacting you
regarding the estate of Alfred and an investment placed under our bank's
management 5 years ago. I would respectfully request that you keep the
contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the
information you come by as a result of this mail. I contact you
independently and no one is informed of this communication. In 2005, the
subject matter, came to our bank to engage in business discussions with
our private banking division. He informed us that he had a financial
portfolio of 14.5 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 10 million United States Dollars. In mid 2007, he instructed that
the principal sum (14.5M) be liquidated because he needed to make an
urgent investment requiring cash payments in Hong Kong and China. We got
in touch with a specialist bank in Hong Kong, Fubon Bank who agreed to
receive this money for a fee and make cash available.

Fubon Bank Ltd. got in touch with us last year that this money has not
been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Alfred was involved
in an accident in Mainland China, which means he died intestate. He has
no next of kin and the reason I am writing you is because due to our
code of conduct we are not allowed to show personal interest on funds of
this nature, hence I decided to contact you due to the fact that you are
based abroad. More so, I got your email address through the commerce of
trade foreign division. 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 Fubon Bank 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 50% each. 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 Chinese National we see so much cash
and funds being re-assigned daily. I would want us to keep communication
for now strictly by this my confidential email address
(clarkli@zsk.name) Once again, kindly note 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 immediately via my private email:
clarkli@zsk.name

I await your response.

Thank you in anticipation.
Clark Li

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