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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: "Mr. Hubert W. Belsham" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <bmrhubert@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2014 07:02:05 +0200
Subject: Private & Urgent

Sir,
 
I dispatched  to you a sealed private letter through post office three weeks ago due to confidentiality of the content of the letter but up till now, I have not received your response. I do not know if you got the letter and this is why I have no alternative than to send the letter again through email though I am scared that it is not secured for this kind of message. My name is Mr. Hubert William Belsham , a British citizen. I am the store keeper of Trafitac Organization, a Logistics & Vault company in London and our major function is accepting valuable items like Precious Stones, Gold, Diamond, Vital Documents, Metals or Antiquates of High Values from customers for safe keeping. I am contacting you with belief that you can handle a business proposal I have at hand.
 
Few years ago, a school friend of mine who later became one of the personal assistants to one of the top government officials in your country through my contact deposited for safe keeping a Trunk Box, stating that it is on behalf of his boss and that it contains photographic materials worth millions of US Dollars. Unfortunately, he later died on motor accident and all my efforts to trace any of his kin as he did not declare the name of his boss proved abortive. Out of curiosity, I forced the luggage open and discovered that the real content of the box is US 100 Dollars Bills in a total of Ten Million US dollars packaged in such a way that it cannot be detected by an X-ray by any airport machine. This information is only know by me in our company.
 
I am contacting you because his deposit contract with my company has expired and the management of my company has directed me as the contact of the depositor to bring any of his kin to collect the deposit or renew the deposit agreement/contract if he/she wishes. You bear one of his names, so I want to present you to my company as his kin so that my company can release the deposit and cargo to your destination where I will come for us to share the money equally after reimbursing every body's expenses. Of course I cannot lodge my share into my bank account here for obvious reasons. I would want you to help me invest me share in your country.
 
If you accept my proposal, I will reveal to you all the secret information needed to release the deposit to his kin as it is in our computer data system and the procedure for the claim which is risk free, can be concluded within 48 hours and the money will be in your custody for our sharing. I am waiting for your positive response.
 
Thanks & Best Regards.
Mr. Hubert W. Belsham

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