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: "Edmund Underwood" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <edmwood1966@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2015 02:18:52 -0800
Subject: RE: Hello dear

Hello dear
 
It is with great trust that i faithfully write this email to you which
am aware will definitely come to you as a huge surprise, but I implore
you to take time to go through it carefully as the decision you make
will go a long way to determine the future of my business plans with you.
 
I have summoned up courage to contact you, seeking your kind assistance to
move the sum of $19.2M to you.As far as I can be assured that my money
will be safe in your care until I complete my assignment here and meet
you in your country.This is no stolen money, and there is no danger
involved.
 
Meanwhile let me briefly introduce myself to you as I write this
email with a high sense of sincerity, trust and as my confidant. I am
Captain Edmund Dave Underwood from Sunbury Pennsylvania, United States. I am the
commander of Special N.A.T.O coalition force with the United Nation
troops in Afghanistan; we are in Afghanistan on war against terrorist and
Taliban operations. I am serving currently in a remote Village in Bamyan
province the bustling capital Kabul (CBC?s Doc Zone).
 
I am desperately in need of your assistance as I have summoned up
courage to contact you seeking your assistance to evacuate the sum of
$19.2m to your country; as far as I can be assured that it will be
safe in your care until I complete my service here.
 
SOURCE OF MONEY: Some money in various currencies was discovered
and concealed in barrels with piles of weapons and ammunition along Kandahar, a
suburb few kilometers from Kunduz,This is one of the hideout camp where the
Taliban  terrorist group carry out their deadly operations.We got an Intel
about these Taliban members camping in Marzar Sharif. We invaded the place
and after hours of gun battle, we captured three (3) of the Taliban
terrorists members,(7) were injured during the battle and In the process
of torture they confessed they were Taliban members that worked under Abu
Baqir a Taliban sub-commander and al-Qaida group leader who was killed by
Us soldiers in an airstrike in kunduz Afghanistan's northern Province.
They took us to their cave in Marzar Sharif which also serve as their
camp, there we discovered five(5)metal boxes piled on top one another
which were locked with a padlock each.
 
This might appear as an illegal thing to do but I tell you what?
No compensation can make up for the risks we have taken with our lives
in this hell-hole. The above figure was given to me as my share and to
conceal this kind of money became a problem for me, so with the help
of a French contact working with the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) here (his office enjoys some immunity) I was able to get the
package out to a safe location entirely. He does not know the true content in
the box because he believes that the cargo belongs to an American who
died in an air raid, before giving up trusted me to hand over the cargo to his
relative in United States.I have now found a secured way to move the cargo out
from here for you to pick up.
 
My proposal to you is, if you are willing to help me receive the box (Money)
you will be entitled to 20% of this fund in the end  and i will also buy your
property. Once again, I confide strictly in you and appeal that you keep
this topmost secret so that we do not lose our lives.
 
I am aware of what your thoughts would be next but don't conclude that yet
because I am willing to guard and give you every logistics plans to follow in
order to have hitched free in this deal.I am not from any authority that
would want to set you up,just that am in urgent need of your assistance and I
assure you that this deal is 100% risk free.As far as I can be assured that my
money will be safe in your care until I complete my service here.
 
I do not know for how long I will remain here, as I have been lucky to
survive two suicide bomb attacks by Pure Divine intervention. This and other
reasons put into consideration have prompted me to reach out for help.
If it might be of interest to you then Endeavor to contact me and we
would work out the necessary modalities but I pray that you are
discrete about this mutually benefiting relationship.this is no stolen
money, and there is no danger involved.
 
Get back to me on this my private email address privatedunderwood@gmail.com for
more details.
 
I await your urgent response!!
 
Yours Truly
Edmund Underwood

Anti-fraud resources: