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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: Meredith gibbson <meredithgs02@voila.fr>
Reply-To: Meredith gibbson <meredithgs01@voila.fr>
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2015 17:46:25 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Dear Sir/Madam,


 Hello.
Please don't be offended, I know you might be surprised on recieving this mail but i plead you to acknowledge and Permit me to inform you my aims of writting to you. Truely I haven't known you physically but i have my desire of going unto relationship with you By brief introduction, I am Miss Meredith Gibbs , Daugther of late Mr. and Mrs Kouame Gibbs Adam and I am age of 18years i contacting you base on the situation which i am about to tell you here because today, i am a complete orphan without mother, without father and without brother or sisters.

I lost my parents in a ghasty road accident in years 2010 which my mother, my little brother and Carol my junior sister died instantly but my father was hospitalised few days before he gave up, my father was holding a strategic Economic post as the C.E President Board of Producers and exporters of Cocoa and coffee in our country and as result, he was  target even to his own blood brother.

So please, the reason why I contacted you is,before my father died, as if he know what will happen later behind him, there were some documents he secretly directed to me about his investment budget worth of US$12.4million dollars which he deposited in one of the well known bank here on behalf of his foriegn business partner for foreign investments .
Please,i will like to make you my Next of King and trustee and to present you to the bank as my late father's foreign investment partner for the money to be transferred to you so that it can be put into use in your country on joint investment before i could join you over there,To tell you, since the death of my parents, his brothers / relatives has been seriously chasing me around with constant treats, to suppress and eliminate me and take over all my father's properties because i have refused to hand them over my late father's properties. According to our blind custom and tradition, a female child cannot inherite her late parents properties.

Now, they have successfully collected all properties from me, yet they never stoped there, but going so far to treat my life brings fear to me now, i need your urgent help and assistance because this is where only everything he laboured for in his life time remains for me.
Based on this reasons, I believe I can trust you like i have said before, Show me your goodwill to give me this assistance so that I can hand over to you all the documents about the money  I plead and will appreciate your kindness in order to actualise this immense co-operation,
I await your very urgent answer.
Regard,
Miss Meredith .

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