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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: David Williams <dw6313259@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2015 21:31:57 -0700
Subject: Dear Friend,

Dear Friend,

My name is Mr.David Williams. I am a senior banker in a bank in the
United Kingdom . I am contacting you with regards to transfer of some
funds from a deceased customer account. Though know that a transaction
of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am
assuring you that every document that will bring about the success of
this transaction will be provided by an attorney here in London , and
all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due
to the urgency of this transaction. The deceased person Mr.Frederick
Wong died in air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in
an Egyptian airline 990 with other passengers on board. You can
confirm his death from the website below which was published by BBC
WORLD NEWS.WEBSITE.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm

We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies
for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our
banking guidelines. I now seek your permission to stand as a next of
kin to the deceased,because their is no heir apparent. All
documentations will be carefully worked to make you the beneficiary of
the funds valued #6,100 000. 00 GBP (Six million, one hundred thousand
Great British pounds sterling) which will be released in your favor as
the next of kin, because after twenty years the money will be called
back to the bank bond treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared
amongst the directors of the bank. So it is on this note I decided to
seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to
this funds rather than allow the bank directors to share this money
amongst themselves. It may interest you to know that we have secured
from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased
relatives.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual
business endeavor by furnishing me with the following information if
you are interested. 1. Full names and address, 2. Telephone and fax
Number. 3. Occupation 4. A scan copy of your international passport or
driver’s license. For our personal contact and mutual trust in each
other I shall be compensating you with 50% of the above amount on
final conclusion of this project. The balance of 50% shall be for me,
because I intend to retire after the conclusion of this transaction.
If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me
immediately. I await your urgent mail on my private email ID ()
Best Regards,

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