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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: "Agent. James Comey" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <james.b_comey85@yahoo.com.sg>
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2016 21:54:28 +0100
Subject: (WE HAVE CONFIRMED FOR FINAL PAYMENT IN YOUR NAME FROM NIGERIA GOVERNMENT.)

From: Agent James B. Comey Field Office
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Atlanta Division
FBI Headquarters 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
 
Urgent Attention:
This is to officially inform you that we have Investigation Intelligence Unit, and found out that One Master atm card that bears your name as the Beneficiary/Receiver of the atm card, Investigation carried out on the diplomat that accompanied the atm card into the United States, said that he was to deliver the atm card to your residence as overdue payment owed to you by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the diplomat.
Meanwhile, we cross check all legal documents in the atm card and we found out that total of $4,500,000.00 {Four Million Five Hundred Thousand USD} have been loaded for final deliver in your name from Nigeria Government (NGO), by ATM Master card which the fund be loaded for final dispatch to any of your Given home/office address by diplomat. We cross check all loaded fund but found out that your atm card was lacking an important pin code and we cannot release the atm card to the diplomat until the pin code is found, as to enable you make withdraw from any ATM machine in the World, right now we have no other choice than to confiscated your Master atm card.
Therefore you need to reply back immediately for direction on how to procure this pin code to enable us relieved the charge of evading the law on you, which is a punishable offense in the United States, also you are instructed to desist from further contact with any bank(s) or person(s) in the United kingdom or any part of the world regarding your payment because your Master atm card has been confiscated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation here in the United States.
Yours in service
 
James B. Comey
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Atlanta Division
FBI Headquarters 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001

Anti-fraud resources: