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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: Robert Gilford <ntfcls.robert@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 15:17:30 +0100
Subject: Foreign Investment Assistance

Hello,

I have been hired by a law firm to seek out relatives of deceased clients
of theirs,I understand that Internet is not the best way to link up with
you because of the confidentiality which the transaction demands.

However, a client whose estates were audited and liquidated recently by the
Probate court in Portugal, of which I was a part of the delegation of the
bank that carried out the investigation of these findings and have narrowed
it down to a few candidates.

These individuals died in a bus accident carrying 48 residents of Lisbon
touring a mountainous area in the outskirts of the city Coimbra, majority
of them were discovered to be INTESTATE, leaving no WILL and no possible
records for trace of heirs. I have all secret details and necessary
contacts for this claim, with no encumbrance.

The Portuguese Court Claims Processing Office has allocated funds for
payment to all beneficiaries, awaiting submission of valid claims for
immediate disbursement. My proposal is to put you forward as the
beneficiary of the 27million euro deposit. Reluctantly, because you share
the same surname with the deceased I can legally transfer ownership and
deposit to you within 5 days. However,if this money ls not claimed, it will
be confiscated back to the government's reserve and squandered by
bureaucrats. This information is privileged only to me, hence I have
decided to share at the ratio of 50% each if you are ready to come along
with me.

My apologies for interrupting your peaceful day.

Best Regards,
Robert Gilford
gilford_robert@yahoo.com

Anti-fraud resources: