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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: Mrs Vanessa Arnaud <mrsvanessa.arnaud101012@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: Mrs Vanessa Arnaud <gkhkgkhgms450@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 21:30:40 +0900 (JST)
Subject: MESSAGE FROM MRS VANESSA ARNAUD


Hello Dear Friend,
 
Having viewed your statue
on-line which motivated me that you can be a trusted person, I am contacting
you in respect to my late husband’s  fund
worth US$ 28 Million deposited with FOREIGN BANK OVERSEA, for safe keeping
purposes. But right now my husband is dead and the financial firm has been
giving me several notifications to make the claim of the said deposit.
 
I want a situation whereby I
will present you as my Executor to the bank so that you assist me to make the
claim of this fund from the financial firm so that it will be transferred to
your custody pending my arrival with my only daughter to your country so that
we can use it judiciously for investment purposes.
 
My only daughter will continue
her education in your country upon our arrival once every arrangement as
regards this transaction is concluded. I will be offering you 30% of the fund
for your foreign assistance as long as you can help me out in carrying out this
project effectively without insinuating greed and selfishness. I am contacting
you in this respect for the below purposes,
 
1, To avoid awareness of my late
husbands relatives because they would like to inherit it alone if I dare
disclose it to them because they said that I do not have a male child for my
late husband without considering the welfare of me and my only daughter.
 
2, To avoid awareness of Cote
d’Ivoire Republic Government about the fund since my husband was a former
politician in Cote d’Ivoire, Once I receive your positive response. I will give
you more details and the documents of the fund deposit for your confirmation to
enable us proceed.
 
Yours sincerely
Mrs Vanessa Arnaud 

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