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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: "Graham Harris" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <harrisgraham01@qq.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2014 17:27:37 -0700
Subject: STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Standard Chartered Bank
1 Basinghall  Avenue, London
EC2V 5DD, United Kingdom
Email: harrisgraham01@qq.com
Prepared by:   Graham Harris
    [ Senior Auditor]
 
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
 
I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary to your moral
ethics, but please treat it with absolute secrecy and personal
courtesy. I am  Mr. Graham  Harris  an auditor with the Standard
Chartered Bank here in London UK, in the process of auditing our bank
accounts for the first quarter of the year, I recently discovered that
there was a dormant account valued at the sum 58,500,000.00 (Fifty
Eight  Million, five hundred thousand British Pounds Sterling only)
and after due verification of this account I discovered that the
account owner who was a Gold merchant  Mr. George Lee  was late. That
is why the account has been dormant and as such the funds are lying
unclaimed in the bank. On a further investigation I discovered that
the late customer  died in an auto crash along side with all his
entire family his wife and two children.
 
 
The idea of presenting a foreigner to act as his next of kin came into
my mind  so as to have the total sum of 58,500,000.00  Pounds
transferred and willed to you due to the fact that the deceased is
national of your country  , and also the bank has given a notification
to forward the next of kin to claim the fund or the fund will be
confiscated  as an unclaimed deposit .
 
 
In view of this, I am personally seeking for your co-operation and
understanding to stand as the next of kin to the deceased customer, to
enable us claim the funds from my bank. Hence we can not locate the
real next of kin to the deceased customer , if this proposal is OK by
you and you do not wish to take undue advantage of my trust, kindly
get back to me immediately, strictly via my private email address
above to enable me enlighten you on how we are to proceed. Do not
worry  I am here as an insider  to protect and guide you on how we
should go and also how to secure all the legal needed papers in your
name to champion this course.
 
I will appreciate if the details below are confirmed back to me in
your next email in order for me to prepare the (MOU), MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING that both of us will endorse in other for both parties
to be protected.
 
 
FULL NAME:........................................
PHONE NUMBER (S) / DIRECT  MOBLI  LINE..........................
SEX/AGE:..................................................
NATIONALITY:.......................................
 
OCCUPATION/ PROFESSION:...............AND  POSITION............
 
 
On getting your response with the above details, The ratio shall be
50% for ME while 50% will be for YOU. I also intend to invest part of
my own share in real estate or any lucrative business in your country,
and I would appreciate if you can put me in the right part where I can
invest my own share.
Be rest assured that this business is 100% risk free. Pls. keep this
business absolutely  confidential within yourself alone.
I wait for your prompt response.
 
Sincerely,
Graham Harris
 

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