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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: Lawyer Sylvester Thompson <contact54@GH226.onmicrosoft.com>
Reply-To: <sylvesterthompson203@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 13:33:31 +0000
Subject: Inheritance Fund Transfer

Dear Friend and Partner,

I herewith in receipt of your response and as you rightly know I
contacted you in this matter base on the fact that you bear the same
surname with my late client and of the same nationality since I had
sought for the relatives without success and instead of this fund
being confiscated by the Finance Firm as I did mentioned in my
proposal or being claimed by some unscrupulous person. I have done
everything possible to trace the relatives of my late client without
any luck, most of his properties here were vandalized by hoodlums and
some over grown by weeds as there is no one to look after them. It was
until the finance firm with the said deposit invited me to their
office and mandated me as his attorney here in Togo to locate and
present to them his next of kin for the release of his outstanding
fund with them, the total sum of (USD $ 10.5 M) Only. It's upon this
that I decided to contact you as bearing the same surname in order to
assist me in putting claims to this fund for the release and transfer.

Of course, I know that you might not be related or even know my late
client , Note that the next of kinship as stated by the inheritance
law, is not limited to relations of the deceased nor is it confided to
the circuit of parental relationship, rather it is by choice of the
benefactor as regards to whom he wish to will it to (beneficiary)
either formally by write up, or informally by secret information
disclosure to beneficiary, be him/ her business partner, relation,
kinsmen, friends or well wisher, therefore by virtue of the above
stated, I seek consent to present you as the next of kin to my late
client since the supposed next of kin also died along with him.

Therefore, in a situation of this kind, it's not published and the
respective financial institution only informs the customer's attorney
as the case may be and then only waits for the real heir to show up as
the availability of such funds are expected to be in the late
"customer's will " which would be the only source of knowledge of it
by anybody who is entitle to such estate but the real heir was also
involved in the accident. There is nothing to worry about as
everything is legal with documentation, it is my duty to provide the
next of kin and whosoever I approve as the next of kin will become the
beneficiary and receive the fund. The most important issue to be
considered now is trust and confidence in this matter hence I plead
this should be our watch word throughout this transaction and I can
fully assure you on my own part that as much as I work this with you,
I will always remain the same.

You have to furnish me with your full information such as:

Your full names------------------
Your age--------------------------
Your marital status-----------------------
Your occupation -----------------------------
Your home and office addresses-----------------
Your Nationality------------------------------
Your Telephone Number------------------------
Your Personal email address-------------------

With this information's I shall proceed to the Magistrate Court to
secure a Letter of Claim and Representation with the information
supplied. As above, this legal instrument when submitted to the Bank
automatically mandates the financial institution to effect transfer
exercise in your favor and as such shall be sealed and remain
irrevocable. On hearing from you i will send to you a draft of
application which you will send to the bank for their immediate
action,bear also in mind that if we succeed with the transfer you will
get 50% of the total amount since the fund will be transfer to your
account and you are on the receiving side of the transaction,while i
get 50% for my assistance.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,

Your friend and partner,
Barrister Sylvester Thompson
Principal Attorney.
Sylvester Thompson & associates.
Lome-Togo.
Direct Cel: +233 234401383.

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