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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: gotop@gotop.net.cn
Reply-To: cinzia@clix.pt
Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2017 15:35:35 +0200
Subject: Our Mandate

From the desk of: The Director
Legal Department
Bank of Ghana.



Re: Your long Over Due funds and Our Mandate from Econimic Community of West African States(Ecowas).

We have received mandate from Ecowas to handle and coordinate the rescue of long over due payments and ensure that beneficiaries/owners of funds within West Africa are promptly paid.Accordingly,we are contacting you exclusively to quickly bring your attention to the following.

1.Based on complaints and reports by beneficiaries of funds within the Ecowas sub region,Ecowas has through the instrumentality of its over sight functions stepped into the issue of long over due funds and to rescue beneficiaries/owners of funds from being deceived and defrauded.

2.Premised on the above,we have been given the mandate to handle and transfer all outstanding funds within the following Ecowas member states viz Benin Republic, Burkina Faso,Cape verde,Cote d'Ivoire,Gambia,Ghana,Guinea,Guinea-Bissau,Liberia,Mali,Niger,Nigeria,Senegal,Sierra Leone,Togo.

3.We have contacted you to specifically inform you that your long over due funds have been placed and deposited with the bank of Ghana by Ecowas from where it will be transferred to you through its direct transfer instrumentality and through bank to bank.

4. You are promptly required to note the above and stop all communications with those people and offices asking and requesting money from you,as you are not required to pay any money to receive your funds.

You will receive your funds without paying any money to any person or office once we have completely carried out requesite due diligence and due process inquiries in accordance with our mandate and procedures.

5. You are required to treat this letter as extremely exclusive and confidential and urgent. You will be guided and directed once you have replied this letter.

Thanking you in anticipation of your co-operation.



Yours faithfully,

Micheal Addo
Legal Department
Bank of Ghana
Accra,Ghana.

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