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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: "Ms. Alice Wright" <mrsalicewright1@gmail.com>
Reply-To: <mrsalicewright@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 00:52:15 -0700
Subject: VERY URGENT

From: Ms. Alice Wright.
Gresham Street London,
SW8 1XB London
United Kingdom.

Hello,

Please forgive my informal and impromptu method of contacting you vide
this mail. I chose to use this medium to get in touch with you first,
because it is the fastest means. My name is Ms. Alice Wright and I am an
auditor working with an external auditing firm, which audits a well
known bank here in the
United Kingdom.

I humbly and sincerely wish to solicit for your assistance to transfer
the sum of £23,000.000.00 {Twenty Three million (British) Pounds
Sterling} to any safe account of your choice, with your honest
cooperation/collaboration. I have every possibility for these
accumulated sums to be paid in your favor and then both of us will share
the value on equal percentages (50:50% ratios). I want to ask you, if
you are interested and capable of handling this business quietly with
me, by providing either an existing bank account, or to set up a new
Bank a/c immediately to receive this money? Even an empty a/c with zero,
or 50 pence credit in it can serve this purpose well, as long as the
account is outside UK and you will remain honest to me till the end of
this important business. Are you interested and can I count on your
trust, honesty and integrity in this?

All necessary arrangements have already been concluded between me and
key/appropriate/relevant officials of the bank in question, regarding
the procedure, methodology and confidentiality of the transaction. They
have all agreed to be in, participate and cooperate, if I find an honest
and capable person to handle this transaction with us, to enable us
transfer the said funds out from UK. I guarantee that this will be
executed under a concrete special arrangement that will be above board
in all respects and protect us from any breach of law. Suffice it for me
to add here that this transaction is totally hitch-free and you should
not entertain any fear because good arrangements have been outlined for
a successful conclusion and everything will be done genuinely and
legitimately without cutting corners.


If you are willing to handle this business with me in full confidence
and trust, please do not hesitate to respond to this mail by immediate
return e-mail and we will take it from there.

Upon my receipt of your response, at my Email I will furnish you with
more detailed clarification as it relates to this mutually beneficial
transaction. I must mention that time is of essence too.


I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Best regard.

Ms. Alice Wright.

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