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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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: parkchu221@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 07:23:54 +0100
Subject: VERY IMPORTANT


Hello

Note: You are the sole recipient so please keep our communication
confidential.

This is Mr. Park Chu, I am the Learning and Development Manager to the Hang
Seng Bank in China. As a matter of fact, I am contacting you regarding the
estate of Alfred and an investment placed under our bank's management 5
years ago. I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this
mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by
as a result of this mail. I contact you independently and no one is
informed of this communication. In 2005, the subject matter, came to our
bank to engage in business discussions with our private banking division.
He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of 14.5 million United
States dollars, which he wished to have us invest on his behalf. Based on
my advice, we spun the money around various opportunities and made
attractive margins for our first months of operation, the accrued profit
and interest stood at this point at over 10 million United States Dollars.
In mid 2007, he instructed that the principal sum (14.5M) be liquidated
because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash payments in
Hong Kong and China. We got in touch with a specialist bank in Hong Kong,
Fubon Bank who agreed to receive this money for a fee and make cash
available.

Fubon Bank Ltd. got in touch with us last year that this money has not been
claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Alfred was involved in an
accident in Mainland China, which means he died intestate. He has no next
of kin and the reason I am writing you is because due to our code of
conduct we are not allowed to show personal interest on funds of this
nature, hence I decided to contact you due to the fact that you are based
abroad. More so, I got your email address through the commerce of trade
foreign division. What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to
his file, you will be made the beneficiary of these funds. My bank will
contact you informing you that money has been willed to you. On
verification, which will be the details I make available to my bank, my
bank will instruct Fubon Bank to make payments to you. You do not have to
have known him. I know this might be a bit heavy for you but please trust
me on this. For all your troubles I propose that we split the money in half
50% each. In the banking circle this happens every time. The other option
is that the money will revert back to the state. Nobody is getting hurt;
this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold the KEY to these funds, and
as a Chinese National we see so much cash and funds being re-assigned
daily. I would want us to keep communication for now strictly by this my
confidential email address (parkchu221@gmail.com). Once again, kindly note
I am a family man, I have a wife and children. I send you this mail not
without a measure of fear as to the consequences, but I know within me that
nothing ventured is nothing gained and that success and riches never come
easy or on a platter of gold. This is the one truth I have learned from my
private banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one
accord, we should act swiftly on this.

Please get back to me immediately via my private email: parkchu221@gmail.com

I await your response.

Thank you in anticipation.

Park Chu

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