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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: "Dr.simth Williams" <fox2310@alice.it>
Reply-To: atmdelivery_headoffice@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2016 18:02:51 +0100 (CET)
Subject: Greetings,



Greetings,

I’m . Dr.simth Williams, the new appointed Postman of Regular Mail Post
Office
branched at Cotonou Benin. I assumed this office on 13th, November, 2015. On
going through the files of the previous records of this office, I discovered
that there are six parcels containing ATM cards each one attached with an
email
address of the owner on it. The former appointee of this office (Alhaji
Ahmed
Musa Jr.) failed to carry out the delivery as it was instructed and
programmed.
Probably, one of his reasons for not carrying out the delivery was that you
have not provided your postal address to him for the completion of the
delivery
as he remarked.

According to the content recorded in each file, the ATM card was deposited
by
one Senior Evangelist Mathew Peterson who died one year back as a charity
foundation parcel to each of the six of you. On the statement he wrote on
the
list, he stated that each of the aforementioned ATM cards contains the sum
of
US$15,000,000.00 and he found your email contacts as reputable and capable
persons that can use the charity awarded ATM Cards to change the lives of
people.

Meanwhile, I've made the arrangement of posting the six parcels through
Regular
Mail Post Office to the six of you to your respective mailing addresses.

Am also sending the same message of the same content to six of you that own
the
six abandoned ATM CARDS each at the same time. If found in spam folder, it
could be due to your Internet Service Provider, ISP. So move to your inbox
before your reply.

I went to our head office at Cotonou Benin and reported the issue of the
discovered six ATM cards in my office and they verified it and gave me the
veto
order to carry out the delivery immediately you reconfirm your mailing
address
to this office in order for us to mail the ATM CARD directly to you after
Postal Stamp of the parcel. Note, below information is officially needed for
posting of the ATM CARD ASAP.

1. Your Full name,________________
2. Your home Address,______________
3. Your current telephone number,______
4. A copy of your ID card,_____________
5. Your age/sex,____________________
6. Your country,____________________
7. Your occupation,__________________
8Your nearest air-port__________________

We shall post your ATM Card once you update us with the above info and you
shall be given a tracking number, that is, the Track and Trace number of
your
parcel once it is posted to your mailing address, so as to enable you track
your parcel to know exactly when it will arrive to your mailing address.

Remain blessed as I'll be looking forward to receiving your immediate
response.

Regards,
Dr.simth Williams
Tel:+229 992 42 898
Postman, Regular Mail Post Office Cotonou Benin.

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