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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: "Barr.Tony Kowffi" <khadijaalkhouliii@gmail.com>
Reply-To: tonykowffilaw@gmx.com
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2015 19:56:56 +0100
Subject: Please Revert


Hello Friend,

I am Barrister.Tony Kowffi and the issue I am presenting to you is a case
of one of my late client a foreigner who was a major crude oil merchant in
West-Africa died in a car crash on the Kumasi-Sunyani Highway leaving an
unclaimed amount of money with the Bank of Africa, Ghana Limited.

In the year 2003,the late client deposited in a 5 Years fixed deposit
account with the bank totaling USD$15.8 Million United States Dollars
($15,800,000.00) which was due to be collected in 2008 with accrued
dividends. On the yearly appraisal of their customers by the bank at the
turn of every year,they discovered that this fixed deposit remained overdue
for retrieval and they had put up series of emails to me as his lawyer and
bank notifications to him which were sent back uncollected,we later
discovered that he passed on along with his wife and entire family in a
tragic auto crash on the 3 of January 2005.

Since his death in the year 2005, I have monitored his account expecting
any of his extended relatives to come forward to claim his money but all
attempts to trace his relatives over the years has been fruitless since he
did not declare any of his relative's information in his records with me or
the bank and added to this, professional ethics obligates them to act with
extreme confidentiality when dealing with clients accounts of this type as
according to the banking law of Ghana,the money will be bequeathed to the
government if it remains unclaimed after 10 years.

However, I don't belong to that school of thought who proposes that the
fortunes of unlucky people be given to the government and I am fully
convinced that no one would turn up to execute the letter of Administration
to claim his funds, hence I decided to contact you to come in as the next
of kin to my late client so that the funds can then be transferred to your
nominated bank account in your country within 7 banking days after we have
filed in your claims transfer application to the bank.

Considering my lack of success in my bid to locate his relatives for many
years now , i have contacted you to assist me in securing the money and
property left behind by my client before they are declared as unclaimed and
unserviceable by the bank where they have been lodged for safekeeping. I
solicit your consent to enable me produce you as the Next of Kin to my
deceased client since you have the same LAST NAME and the funds will then
be transferred to you as the beneficiary and shared between us in equal
half’s 50/50.

Again, I feel that you may be apprehensive and consider this amount too big
for you to defend but It does not matter as there are documents to back it
up and this transaction is 100 % risk free and as his lawyer you can be
rest assured that all documents to enable you get this fund as the next of
kin will be carefully worked out. Do not be bothered that you are not
directly related to my late client as I am in position to affix your name
as the next of kin.

I need not emphasize the need for confidentiality of this issue and I
therefore appeal to you not discuss this request with anybody, even if you
decline to take full advantage of this great and urgent opportunity that is
upon us.

I look forward to your quick reply

Sincerely,

Barrister Tony Kowffi(Esq)

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