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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: "Halliday" (may be fake)
Reply-To: < tizz18080@techie.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2016 01:05:15 -1100
Subject: Urgent release !!!

Attention:
I am an international consultant and Director International Monitary Unit Dakar-Senegal, currently in offshore department.
 
I will be happy to inform you that your over-due fund has been approved for payment, which i want you to work and corporate with
me in the release of your fund.
I need strong Assurance that you will never let me down, if I work with you in transferring this money to your account. A
large sum of money with the Reserve Bank of Senegal which is tax free zone, a place where plenty of rich people tend to
hide away funds not ready to be used or invested.
 
During one of our periodic auditing I discovered a dormant accounts with holding balance of $ and since then you disappear
into the tin air. Banks are not always able to find out what has become of these silent from you, or to know whether they
should follow up on requests from people who claim to be heirs to the accounts. The main problem is that the customer
resides abroad and, due to bank secrecy, the bank cannot publish notices in the international press to locate the
depositaries. This has led the majority of Swiss banks to refrain from opening small-deposit accounts for foreign
customers; for fear that they will forget that the account exists.
 
Presently until we have agreed to deal. I trust you will understand the need for such pre-cautions. So far, valuable
efforts has been made to get to his people but to no avail, as he had no known relatives more because he left his next of
kin column in his account opening forms blank and he has no known relative. Due to this development the bank has come
forward to ask us as his personal consultant to bring forward a close relative to claim the funds otherwise as the Nigeria
national laws would  have it, any dormant account for five years will be declared unclaimed and then paid into the
government purse.
To avert this negative development I have decided to look for a contact you in person to act fast. So that the funds could
be processed and released into your bank account, in your country. my law firm will also act as your personal attorneys
since we will be portraying you as being directly related to our late client being from the same country.
All legal documents to aid your claim for this fund and to prove your relationship with the deceased will be provided by us
and as soon as we receive your urgent response we shall proceed accordingly to your transfer.
Your help will be appreciated with 50% of the total sum which I will receive 50% and keep my confidence and disregard this
letter if you know you are not this proposition I have declared to you and if you are ready to do this with me, forward as
stated below so that i can inject your name to the Central Computing System as the heir apparent:
Full Name:.......................
Residential Address:..................
Contact Phone number:................
Occupation:........................
I wait anxiously for your response.
 
Prof. Halliday David
Director International Monitary
Unit Dakar-Senegal
cc International Monitory Unit

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