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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Michael Cohen" <write2cohen@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:36:35 +0800 (CST)
Subject: Good day,

Good day,

Please permit me to go into a business partnership with you, for the legal, truthful and Godly relationship. I am Michael Cohen the only son of late Mr and Mrs Serge Cohen from SIRREA LEOANE. I am 22years old. My father was a wealthy cocoa merchant in Africa, my father died of food poisoning during one of his business outings in France with his close friend and business associate who happens to be main conspirator to my father's painful death. My mother died long ago when I was a baby and since then my father took me special. I am now in Port Novo capital city of Benin republic a small West African country. My reason of been here is for the release of my late father’s money which he used me as his next of kin.

Before the untimely death of my father in a private hospital, he secretly called me on his sick bed side and told me that he has the sum of Five million five hundred thousand United State Dollars. (USD$5.500,000), left in fixed/suspense account in a bank here in Cotonou Benin Republic, he used my name as his only son for the next of Kin in depositing of the fund. Now am here for the past two weeks now for the possible release of the money to me but i was surprised when the bank refuse showing an agreement they had with my late father. It was proved that My late father had an agreement with the bank that in-case of his untimely death, that i should reach the age of 25 before i can have access to the money or alternatively I should nominate a foreign partner of my choice that will stand as my guardian to help me transfer this money to his account for a proper investment purpose in real estate, hotel management or any other lucrative business profit yielding venture.

Note: I am willing to offer you 15% of the total sum as compensation for your effort/ input after the successful transfer of this fund to your nominated bank account. Please make sure that you write me very fast through my private email ( michaelcohen@hotmail.ru ), it is urgent.

Anticipating to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,
Michael Cohen.

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