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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: Nacho Hernandez <nachonez101@gmail.com>
Reply-To: Nacho Hernandez <nachonez102@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 23:02:48 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Urgent transaction


Dear Friend,
 
My name is Nacho Hernández, I know this would be a surprise message to you, I am administrative manager at a Vault of a Financial & Security Institute here in Madrid Spain.
 
I am contacting you based on a financial opportunity I discovered here in our bank. It’s about an abandoned sum of $7, 200, 000.00 (Seven million two hundred thousand United State dollars) in our vault, that belongs to one of our foreign customers, a citizen of your country that shares the same surname with you, who died along with his entire family on 11th March Madrid trains Bombings, in a ghastly Terrorists trains bomb attack here in Madrid Spain.
 
The Spanish banking policy can only allow the release of such funds to a benefactor through an application as next of kin to the deceased after his death, the bank has been expecting a possible beneficiary, but no luck; this institute have exploited all its ethical possibilities in other to contact his possible relation or inheritor, but no success.
 
Nobody has come up since Ten years, I have made my own research with the help of a private investigator, it is my knowledge that this man has been living in Madrid for the past 22 years and has never returned back home. I also learnt that his wife and 3 year old daughter as of then died with him during the Madrid trains bombings, therefore I am 100% sure that no one is aware of the existence of these funds.
 
However, because of the international financial crises, a lot of reform has been made within the Spanish Financial system; this includes the new law on succession/claims which indicates a duration in which such inheritance could be tolerated. The Bank of Spain have mandated our institution to release the funds to the possible inheritor, and failure to respond to this ultimatum would enable the Bank of Spain to confiscate these funds as unclaimed estate (which of course would go straight to the Government’s treasure). It is therefore upon this whole discovery that I have decided to contact you.
 
I am a senior member in the office and as an insider; I am equipped with all classified secret information that will enable the release of these funds. I would be dedicated to making sure that I give you all possible documentation and information that will be required for the approval and release of these funds.
 
Upon your acceptance to cooperate, I agree that 40% of this money will be for you, 50% for me and 10% goes to any acceptable charity organisation in Spain or your country. Please note that I have not discussed this with any other person and for confidential reasons, I strongly advise that you reply via email only. Immediately you get in touch with me, I will be able to inform you on how this project would be completed.
 
In conclusion, it’s my concern to demand your ultimate honesty, co-operation and confidentiality that will enable us to successfully conclude this transaction. Please keep this very confidential and do not discuss it with anybody. I GUARANTEE that this process would be executed under a legitimate arrangement and I will legally protect you from any breach of financial law.

Thanks and God bless you.

 
Mr. Nacho Hernández

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