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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: James Thurman <ubsigngroup@live.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:03:27 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Thanks as I await in anticipation for your fullest co-operation.


 Dear Sir/Ma
I am MD.James Thurman. the Chief Accountant of the Ghana National PetroleumCorporation(GNPC)and I head a five man tender board in charge of contractaward and payment approval. I came to know of you in my search for areliable person to handle a very confidential transaction which involvesthe transfer of a huge sum of money to a foreign account.
There were series of contracts executed by a contortion of multinationalsin the oil industry in favor of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)among which were for the following:
1. The expansion of the pipelines network within for a crude down streamproducts distribution and subsequent evacuation which cost(EightBillion(USD$8B.)United States Dollars).
2. Contract for the turn around maintenance (TAM) of the variousrefineries in the country $115 million United States Dollars. Theconstruction of storage tanks for petroleum products (depots) $190 MillionUnit ed States Dollars.
The original value of these contracts were deliberately over invoiced inthe sum US$69(Sixty-nine Million United States Dollars) only which has nowbeen approved and ready to be transferred to a Foreign account, but thefact being that the companies that actually executed these contracts hadbeen fully paid when the projects were officially commissioned that is whywe are stocked at this point.
It does not matter whether your Company's did the contract or not, theassumption is that your Company won the major contract and sub-contractedit out to other Companies. Consequently, my colleagues and I are willing totransfer the total amount to your account for subsequent disbursement,since we as civil servants are prohibited by the Code of ConductBureau(civil service laws)from owing or operating foreign accounts in ournames. Needless to say, the trust imposed on you at this junction isenormous.
In return, we have agreed to offer you 25% of the total sum after asuccessful transfer of the fund to your account, while 5% shall be setaside for incidental expenses (internal and external)between the parties inthe course of the transaction, and the remaining 70% is for us, theGhanaian officials.
Modalities have been worked out at the highest level of the Ministry ofFinance and the Central Bank of Ghana for the immediate transfer of thefund within 14 working days subject to your satisfaction of the abovestated terms.
Our assurance is that your role is Risk-free both now and in future, Iaccord this transaction the legality it deserves and for mutual security ofthe fund, the whole approval procedures will be officially and legallyprocessed with the name of any company you may nominate as the bonafidebeneficiary of the above mentioned amount.
Therefore, when the business is successfully concluded we shall throughour same connections withdraw all documents used from all the concernedgovernment ministries for 100% security risk free to avoid any traces afterthe transaction.
Once more, I want you to understand that having put in over 19years in thecivil service of my Country, I am very careful to have my image and careerdeemed.
Please contact me immediately through E-mail whether you are interested inthis deal or not, if you are not, it will enable us scout for anotherforeign partner to carry out this deal but whereby you are interested sendus your reply immediately indicating your interest assist us.
Send by Email for security reasons.
Thanks as I await in anticipation for your fullest co-operation.
Yours truly,
MD James Thurman.

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