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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: "Raita" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <e8976rte@accamail.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2014 13:10:08 +0100
Subject: Re: S Raita Reply Back Pls

Hello Friend,

Please pardon me for contacting you through this medium; I am compelled to do so for some reason.
Note:
By this information, i am not in any manner compeling you to honor the content against your own will.
Thus, I am an account officer by status.
One of my client who had certain sum deposited with my bank but had died some years back made me to contact you for certain reason.
This particular customer has been dead for six years and nobody has access none requested an inquiry to the customer account.
Our terms of services states that if an account remain inactive for more than six years, the customer will forfeit all rights to such account and the access code will be changed and diverted.
This particular customer has the sum of ten million dollars in his account.
My aim of contacting you is to use you as the diseased next of kin and I will provide you every other details.
You will not use your real identity before the amount can be claimed.
Info's such as: real names, address, passport and etc are not necessary.
Your physical presence is equally not important.
I will guide you on what to do. And for your efforts, you will be entitled to 40% of the fund.
The balance 60% is for me and two other clerks in my office.
I would like to enphasize that This is reality, it’s not spam, buck or the like, by your honesty, confidentiality and acceptance, I’ll be willing to provide you with further details, such as my bank registration numbers, website, postal Address, contacts and etc for verifications.
My purpose may be simple; e.g, shift these funds elsewhere so that each person may benefit.
Yours cooperation will be highly respected, Hence, I solicit your cooperation herein, please reply if you consider It appealing Ok

S. Raita

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