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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: "Mr. Mallam Tanko" <mrtmallam3@gmail.com>
Reply-To: "Mr. Mallam Tanko" <mrmallam.tanko@yandex.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2016 03:03:57 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: Business Partnership

Dear Friend,

I am Mr. Mallam Tanko, Manager of Auditing and Accountancy Department, Bank of Africa in (B.O.A) Burkina Faso. This message might meet you in utmost surprise; however it is my urgent need for foreign partner that made me to contact you on a business transaction that will be beneficial to both of us.

At the bank's last accounts/auditing evaluations, my staff came across an old account which was being maintained by a foreign client who we learnt was among the deceased passengers of motor accident. Since his death, even the members of his family haven't applied for claims over this fund and it has been in the safe deposit account until I discovered that it cannot be claimed since our client is a foreign national and we are sure that he has no next of kin here to file claims over the money. As the manager of the department, this discovery was brought to my office so as to decide what is to be done. I decided to seek ways through which to transfer this money out of the bank and out of the country too. The total amount in the account is ten million five hundred thousand united states dollars (USD 10,500,000.00) with my position as a staff of the bank, I am handicapped because I cannot operate foreign accounts and cannot lay bonafide claim over this money. The client was a foreign national and you will only present yourself / act as his next of kin and I will supply you with all the necessary information and bank data to assist you in being able to transfer this money to any bank of your choice.

I want to assure you that this transaction is absolutely risk free since I work in this bank and be rest assured of the success of this transaction because you will be updated with information as at when desired. I will wish you to keep this transaction secret and confidential as I am hoping to retire with my own share of the money. I will come over to your country for sharing of the money and I will appreciate your urgent response so that I will give you more details concerning this transaction. Please keep this proposal as a top secret between both of us, because the secret of this transaction is as well as the success of it.

Looking forward to your urgent response,
Regards.
Mr. Mallam Tanko.

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