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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.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

 

 

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "David Chen" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <davidchen1925@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 21 May 2015 21:04:44 -0700
Subject: Business Knowledge.. FLZVXKTPBR

I am David Chen, Deputy Manager for the China Trust Commercial Bank,
China. I am getting in touch with you regarding the estate of a
deceased client, and an investment placed under our banks management 5
years ago.
I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail
confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by
as a result of this mail. I contact you independently and no one is
informed of this communication. In 2009, the subject matter; Alfred
Abbott came to our bank to engage in business discussions with our
private banking division. He informed us that he had a financial
portfolio of Forty-One Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand
United States Dollars, which he wished to have us invest on his
behalf.

Based on my advice, we spun the money around various opportunities
and made attractive margins for our first months of operation, the
accrued profit and interest stood at over Six Million. In mid 2012, he
instructed that the principal sum be liquidated because he needed to
make an urgent investment requiring cash payments in Hong Kong.

We got in touch with the Kincheng Banking Corporation which is a
specialist bank in China, and has now been merged with the Bank of
China, with a foreign representative branch in Hong Kong who agreed to
receive this money for a fee and make cash available to Alfred.

However, Bank of China got in touch with us this year that this money
has not been claimed. On further enquiries we found out that Alfred
was involved in an accident in Mainland China, which means he died
Interstate. On further investigation we found out that Late Alfred
left behind no next of kin and this is the reason I am writing you.

What I propose is that since I have exclusive access to his file, and
I can make you the beneficiary of these funds. My bank will contact
you informing you that money has been willed to you. On verification,
which will be the details I make available to my bank, my bank will
instruct Bank of China to make payments to you. You do not have to
have known him. I know this might be a bit heavy for you, but please
trust me on this. For your assistance I propose to give you 30% of the
total amount in question. In banking circles this happens from time to
time, where people die without leaving a Will or beneficiary. The
other option is that the money will revert back to the state once it
is unclaimed within a specific time frame.

Nobody is getting hurt; this is a lifetime opportunity for us. I hold
the KEY to these funds, and as a Chinese National we see so much cash
and funds being re-assigned daily. I would want us to keep
communication for now strictly by fax/mail, as time goes on I shall
furnish you with my telephone number, so you can also reach me by
phone. My spoken English is not too good, but you should be able to
understand me.

Please, again, note I am a family man; I have a wife and children. I
send you this mail not without a measure of fear as to the
consequences, however, I know within me that nothing ventured is
nothing gained and that success and riches never come easy or on a
platter of gold. This is the one truth I have learned from my private
banking clients. Do not betray my confidence. If we can be of one
accord, we should act swiftly on this.

I await your positive response.

David Chen

PIYSIOKFGRZWDNYJTBPMNSBPCIJIYCXOQKLMNO

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