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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: "World Bank Debt Settlement Committee" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <habab601@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2015 15:36:19 -0800
Subject: World Bank Debt Settlement Committee

Dear beneficiary,
 
Following the debt settlement agreement reached between World Bank and the United Nations Organization. A debt settlement Committee, namely World Bank Debt Settlement Committee was inaugurated to handle all bad debts owed to foreign Contractors including those who were victims of Scams.
 
The following are to benefit in the ongoing debts settlement projects, contractors with delayed contract payments, foreigners who were victims to financial criminal activities such as internet scams and victims of kidnappers who lost their life.
 
Your Payment File Number WBDR055/A797/WA2014 is presently on my desk for verification. l conducted an intensive search into your payment file and l discovered that you never executed any Contract or any of the above as to warrant your claims; l discovered that you were a victim of internet scam.
 
I went through the documents in your payment file and discovered that your payment file is filed with fake documents.
 
Having made my discovery, l refused to disclose it to any member of the committee for confidentiality.
 
>From the look of things l realized that you have spent money in pursuance of the claim. l decided  to contact you to have mutual business deal with you.
 
With my position as one of the senior staff in this committee of debt settlement, l can rectify all the abnormalities in your payment file, then recommend you among the beneficiaries on the ongoing global debts settlement and compensation program, meaning that if you agree with my conditions, the funds will be paid to you, but you are to give me 40% of the total sum as soon as the money is paid and transferred to you.
 
You must be someone to be trusted, therefore l needs an assurance from you not to reveal this to anybody until the money is paid and transferred to you.
 
I will use my position as one of the senior staff of this debts settlement committee, to rectify all the errors in your payment file, then pave way for the money to be paid and transfer to you.
You are to receive the payment through one of the centers in East Asia.
 
l will take care of procuring all the original documents we will need to backup this claim.
 
Please you must think and re-think before you reply this letter, if you think you can, then get back to me immediately via this E-mail: habab601@yahoo.com
 
I wait for your immediate reply.
 
Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Hamsa Aziz Bin Abdul.

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