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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: "Mrs. Safia Farkash" <info@smart5.eu>
Reply-To: farkash_safia300@hotmail.com
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 21:02:36 +0100
Subject: URGENT



Dear Sir,
Before I proceed, I must first apologize for this unsolicited mail to
you. I am aware that this is certainly not a conventional way of
approach to establish a relationship of trust, but you will realize
the need for my action. I am Mrs. Safia Farkash Gaddhafi. The wife
of the late Libyan Leader Colonel Muammar Gaddhafi, my husband was
brutally killed 20th October, 2011. I got your contact email address
through my research and out of desperation decided to reach you
through this medium to ASSIST me receive the sum of US$185Million (One
Hundred & Eighty-Five Million United States Dollars) kept in one of
the top banks in Europe.

I will give you more information as to this regard as soon as you
reply, am so lucky that the bank officials who knew about this fund
are nice people and really want to help me and have kept the
information of the funds strictly confidential and have advise me to
source for good investor that will receive the funds on my behalf for
investment to avoid any confiscation. I have been thrown into a state
of utter confusion, frustration and hopelessness, please kindly read
this publication and see why i have decided to contact you as further
delay to do something might lead to totally losing of the funds.

http://www.news.com.au/world-news/cash-stash-libyan-dictator-muammar-gaddafis-hidden-billions-found-in-south-africa/story-fndir2ev-1226657791603

I will be willing to offer you some good percentage out of the total
fund if only you will receive this fund and keep it for us. Please
note that honesty is the watch word in this transaction. I will
require your full Names, address, telephone and Occupation, so that I
can forward to the private attorney who knew everything about the
money and the bank where the money is deposited so that he can
commence communication with you. In case you don’t accept please
do not expose my mail. Be kind to get back to me, if you are not
interested so that I can further my search for another partner.

My private Financial Representative has guarantee that this
transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement with the
bank without the breach of the law. Also, he has worked out all
modalities to complete the transaction successfully within the
shortest possible time.

Kind regards
Mrs. Safia Farkash Gaddhafi

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