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: Bank Service <bankremittanceinfo.service@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2013 01:29:09 +0200
Subject: Information

I am sorry for the embarrassment this mail might cause you, as we have not
met before. I am Mr. George Phillips, a Bank Accountant. I am writing to
solicit your assistance in the transfer of $2.7Million United States
dollars. This fund is the excess of what my branch made as profit during
the 2010 financial year. I have already submitted annual report for that
year to my head office as I have watched with keen interest as the bank
will never know of this excess fund, I placed this amount of $2.7Million
United States dollars to an Escrow Coded account without a beneficiary
(anonymous) to avoid trace. I do need to stress that there are practically
no risk involved in this transaction it is 100% risk free. It's going to be
a bank-to-bank transfer.
It is also important to inform you that, this transaction will be carried
out as a highly confidential and you will also promise and assure me that,
you will be trusted and honest with me when the money is remitted to your
account and upon my arrival to your country for the sharing and the
investment. Trustworthiness and honesty is the most important and desired
aspect of this transaction. All I require is your honest co-operation to
enable us see this business through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that
will protect you from any breach of the law. I believe that it is God who
join us together for this transaction, and I also pray for God to give us
the spirit of being honest to ourselves by the successful end of this
transaction. As an officer of the bank, I cannot be directly connected to
this money due to civil service code which form its civil servants from
owing or operating foreign currency account coupled with the fact that the
fund is huge thus I am impelled to request for your assistance to receive
this money into your bank account on my behalf I intend to part 50% of this
fund to you while 50% shall be for me. All I need from you is to stand as
the original depositor of this fund so that the fund can be legally
processed to your name and be transferred to your account without any
problem. If you accept this offer, I will appreciate your timely response
to enable us proceed.
With Regards,
Mr. George Phillips.

Anti-fraud resources: