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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: "ECONOMIC & FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <e.f.c.c@ananzi.co.za>
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2016 11:48:20 +0300
Subject: DELAYED FUND TRANSFER: ARE YOU THE TRUE BENEFICIARY?

Attention:

My name is Mr Ibrahim Mustafa Magu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) new executive officer in Nigeria. I was until my appointment an Assistant Commissioner of the Nigerian Police and a trained financial crimes investigator with background in forensic accounting from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, USA and the Metropolitan Police, London Institutes.

I am writing in regards to a file on my desk bearing your names, which contains information concerning the supposed transfer of some huge sum of money to your bank account by the Central Bank of Nigeria during the stewardship of Mr Charles Soludo(May 29, 2004 – May 29, 2009) and Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi(June 3, 2009 - February 14, 2014) as CBN Governors and the Chairmanship of the EFCC under Mr Nuhu Ribadu(2003 - 2007), Mrs Farida Waziri(May 2008 – 23 November 2011) and Mr Ibrahim Lamorde(November 23, 2011 - November 11th, 2015).

Reliable information reaching my desk states that you were not able to get your funds paid to you due to your persistent communication with people who claim to be what they are not, people who frequently impersonate the identity of real government and bank officials to help make themselves and their scam appear legitimate in order to deceive and defraud people like you of your hard-earned money.

I will be ready to help in delivering your fund sum to you with your honest and sincere co-operation with my office but i do not know if i am in contact with the true fund beneficiary because you may just be sharing the same email aliases. If i am, do inform me accordingly through this email: mr.ibrahimmagu@gmail.com, if i am not then kindly ignore this letter. Thank you for your anticipated co-operation.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr Ibrahim Mustafa Magu,
Chairman,
EFCC.

Anti-fraud resources: