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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: James Smith <e09des4125q@sepdf.gob.mx>
Reply-To: smith_james20011@outlook.com
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 09:21:15 +0100
Subject: I NEED YOUR CORPORATION


>From The Desk Of James Smith
London, United Kingdom

Dear Friend,

I have picked up the trust and courage to write you this letter with divine
confidence that you are a reliable and honest person who will be capable
for this important and confidential transaction which I have for you,
believing also that you will never let me down either now or in the future.
I was in Dubai on a seminar and I got your information from a trade
consultant here in Dubai, though I did not disclose the purpose of my
seeking for a foreign partner to him.

Unfortunately, I had to leave Dubai due to urgent appointment back home;
this was the reason why I decided to write you immediately I arrived home
to my country. My name is Mr. James Smith , a Solicitor and the personal
Attorney/Sole Executor to the late Mr. Randolph Marriott, hereinafter
referred to as my client; an industrialist, who worked as an Oil and Gas
Merchant in my country and passed away. There is an account opened in one
of the banks in the United Kingdom by my client in 2010 and no family
member knows about this account or anything concerning it.

In 2013, Mr. Randolph Marriott summoned me to his office to commence his
WILL process, that was when his health condition became worse. He
eventually died few months ago, leaving the WILL uncompleted. The family
does not know about his personal deposit of £19.7 Million (Nineteen Million
Seven Hundred Thousand Pound Sterling) as it is not listed on the WILL, and
all the family focus, is in his Oil/Gas business and other banks where he
made some deposit.

I want to present you as his trustee/business partner who according to him,
should for further inherit/invest the sum of £19.7 Million (Nineteen
Million Seven Hundred Thousand Pound Sterling) which he secretly deposited
in one of the banks in the United Kingdom so that both of us can share the
fund once transferred into your account. I want us to do this before
presenting the WILL to his family. You shall be entitled to 40% of the
total sum, while I will take 50% while 10% is for expenses. All necessary
precautions have been taken to ensure 100% risk free situation on the side
of both parties.

I will secure the vital documents that will make you the beneficiary of the
fund to enable us claim it from the bank where the fund is deposited. The
WILL is with me and no member of his family has seen the WILL yet and the
bank where the fund is deposited is not known to them.

The question is, can we work together?

Kindly get back to me( *smith_james20011@outlook.com
<smith_james20011@outlook.com>* )for further discussion on this if you are
interested.

Respectfully Yours,

James Smith.

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