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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: "MARK CARNEY" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <allisterkingboeoffice@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 10:01:16 -0700
Subject: PERSONALLY TO YOU & VERY URGENT FROM BOE

Threandneedle Street
London, EC2R 8AH,
United Kingdom.
 
ATTENTION: BENEFICAIRY,
I'm delighted to inform you that i am the recent Bank of England Governor, legally incharge of the entire local banks and all the microfinance institutions here in London-UK. Government of Great Britain has unanimously approved all outstanding inheritance/contract payments, lottery payment which was overdue and yet to be payed out to beneficiaries whom were scammed by African 419 artists/perpetrators in one way or the other.
 
Note quickly that out of ten selected beneficiaries approved for payment, your name and contact appeared in our file as the second beneficiary to receive US$5,500,000.00 which has been gazzeted to be released via direct bank to bank wire transfer to your goodself. A woman M/S Milinda Wallace came to our office in person with a deed of agreement she claimed was signed by you to be her representative. We need your urgent attention with all sincerity to clearify if you truly sent here to our bank. we shall proceed to issue all payment details to the said woman if we do not hear from you within the next 48 banking hours from today. You are given 24 hours as well to confirm your full house/office address and your working telephone number to enable us proceed with the process of transferring your funds to your bank account.
 
Contact us through email: (mailoffice0222@gmail.com) or 447087643698.
 
Sorry for the inconviniences or delay this must have caused you.
 
I REMAIN YOURS IN SERVICE,
MARK CARNEY
GOVERNOR, BANK OF ENGLAND
CC: SENATE PRESIDENT
CC: BOARD OF DIRECTORS [FPD]
CC: ACCOUNTANT GENERAL OF ENGLAND
CC: BRITISH TREASURY MINISTRY

Anti-fraud resources: