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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: Merriam Eve Chen <hsbcsec01@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mceq0013@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 6 May 2014 17:41:33 -0700
Subject: RE: IMPORTANT NOTICE

My name is Merriam Eve Chen. Please read carefully and see how you can
be of help to my family.

I'm married with three kids (two males and a female) my husband was
involved in the recent Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370; on his
way home from Malaysia to China, we are still expecting compensation
from the Government but nothing yet, i have tried to clear my husbands
domiciliary account to maintain good healthcare for my children. the
bank requested me to visit their head office for official
certification before i will be privileged to withdraw from my husbands
domiciliary account, I have been at the bank head office since Monday
without success because the banking procedures over here is rather
strange from one request to another, now they are instructing me to
present a member of my late husbands family or his distant relation
that someone from his family-tree must be presented according to the
APG Decree on inheritance and third party release of funds.

My husband is the only child and his mother is very old whom we are
taken care of and he lost his father when he was a child, I cannot
involve my husbands best friend in this matter because he also
approach me seductively. Most times life does not worth living but
those in good peaceful environment having healthy life does not know
the bitter side of life which is as difficult as hell. I'm facing a
lot alone without any shoulder to bear this pains with me having my
little children in need of their mother and fatherly love, i think you
may consider to meet with the APG Director as my late husbands
distance family-tree relation or rather communicate him to seek for
approval. My late husband was planning to relocate our family to
England that is why he placed all his savings into domiciliary account
total of 3,500,000$ and i promise you great reward financially from
the dept of my soul.

I hope to hear from you soonest regarding your helpful suggestion and
will appreciate if you can be of great help physically to resolve the
APG Approval. I wish you the best that life can offer (peaceful
living, conducive environment, good healthcare and above all long life
because nothing on earth can buy life).

Faithfully,
Mrs Merriam Eve Chen
My e-mail: merriamchenq@gmail.com

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