joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Marina Sanzel" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <sanzelmarin@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2014 05:39:45 -0600
Subject: Very Urgent Mail From Hospital

My Dearest One,
This is Miss Marina Sanzel from Trinidad &Tobago. I am writing from the hospital in Ivory Coast , therefore this mail is very urgent as you can see that I'm dying in the hospital which I don't know what tomorrow will be. I was told by my doctor that I was poisoned and has got my liver damaged and can only live for some months.
I inherited some money ($2.5 Million) from my late father and I cannot think of anybody trying to kill me apart from my step mother in order to inherit the money, she is an Ivorian by nationality.

I want you to contact my servant with this information below:
Servant Augustine Maranatha.
Address: Rue De La Princess L /G 152 Cocody
Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire.
Email: maranathaaug@yahoo.co.jp
Phone Number: +225 678 240 66

He will give you the documents of the money and will direct you to a well known lawyer that I have appointed to him, the lawyer will assist you to change the documents
of the money to your name to enable the bank transfer the money to you.

This is the favor I need when you have gotten the money :-

(1) Give 20% of the money to my servant Augustine as he has been there for me through my illness and I have promised to support him in life. I want you to take him
along with you to your country and establish him as your son.

(2) Give 30% of the money to handicap people and charity organization, then the remaining one is yours.
Note; This should be a code between you and my Servant Augustine in this transaction "Hospital" any mail from him, the barrister he will direct you to, without this code
"Hospital" is not from the barrister, Augustine, the bank or myself as I don't know what will happen to me in the next few hours.

(3) The lawyer's name is Mc Lambert Adams . And Let Augustine send you his International passport to be sure of whom you are dealing with. Augustine is so little
therefore guide him.

And if I don't hear from you, I will look for another person or an organization.

Please do not forget to contact Maranatha Augustine with maranathaaug@yahoo.co.jp
May Almighty God bless you and use you to accomplish my wish.
Pray for me always.
Miss Marina Sanzel

Anti-fraud resources: