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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: "Mr. Masud Abraheem" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <abramasud@voila.fr>
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:28:57 -0000
Subject: Urgent Reply!

 
Auditing Section in foreign remittance department
Bank Of Africa, Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.
Dear Friend,              
 
I have picked up the trust and courage to write you this letter with divine confidence that you are a reliable and honest
 
Person who will assist me for this
important business transaction. My spirit directed me to contact you in this transaction; I never know you in my person and
 
I would like to know you more.
 
My name is Masud Abraheem; a senior Auditing Officer with this Bank Of Africa (BOA) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. There is
 
an account opened in this bank in 2000 and since 2003 nobody has operated on this account after the death of an account
 
owner. Then after going through some old files during last year audit to verify the heir of the fund, I discovered that the
 
customer died with his entire family.
 
The owner of this account died since 2003.  He has no relative here and his Company has been closed and no person knows
 
about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has no next of kin and my investigation proved to me as well
 
that his company does not know anything about this
account and the amount involved is (US$12,940,000.00) Twelve million Nine Hundred and Forty thousand United States Dollars.
 
This amount I mentioned is without the interest of the money, it is the subject amount which the man deposited in this Bank
 
Of Africa.
 
I want this total sum (US$12,940,000.00) Twelve million Nine Hundred and Forty thousand United States Dollars to be
 
transferred into a safe foreign account abroad. I am contacting you based on the fact that you are a foreigner because this
 
money can only be approved for payment to a foreigner. I know that this proposal will come to you as a surprise as we don't
 
know each other before. But God is great; let us use our identity card to recognition.
 
I suggested that our percentage shall be 40% for you while 60% is for me as soon as you confirm the total sum into your
 
bank account. I will come over to your country for sharing of the money. Get back to me through this my private e-mail
 
address:abramasud@voila.fr
 
I will be waiting for your urgent response.
 
Regards,
Masud Abraheem.
 

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