joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: ALEX BEN <"www."@globe.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: ALEX BEN <alex.ben@onet.pl>
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2017 10:27:58 +0900 (JST)
Subject: YOUR URGENT RESPOND IS NEEDED


Greetings and compliments,

I am Mr. ALEX BEN, the Chair person in charge of Treasury
Department, International wire transfers of Benin Republic Federal
Ministry of Finance. You are to reply through this my official email
address because this is to inform you
that your fund was brought to my desk because the director
&management of the WESTERN UNION & MONEYGRAM transfer have declared
to divert your fund to the government treasury account just because
you can not pay the wire transfer fee. In reasoning wisely to this
complain I told them to wait until I hear from you so that I will
know the reason why you decide to reject such amount of
moneyUSD$10.5Million which is your rightful & legal overdue
inheritance payment just because of transfer fee.

The
reason why I sent this email to you is because its your sweat and
for this reason you still have this last chance to claim your fund
if you can send USD$350.00today because I have already arranged your
wires ready for its daily wires to you but failing to do this, I
will allow them to have power over your fund anadem very sorry if
you failed as this is the last chance.

Therefore, send the USD$350.00 immediately you receive this email
today and email your full name and address to me if you want your
USD$10.5Million be send to you by western union OR Money gram
transfer but the maximum amount officially allow for it per day wire
to you is USD$5000.00 per day until you receive your complete
USD$10.5Million from here. The second option is for you to send me
the full detail of your bank account if you want your fund be fully
transfer by direct bank to bank wire transfer to your account at
once. After you have sent the $350.00 and email me the Mtcn numbers,
you are to indicate your wish to receive your funds as I have
stated above and the funds will be released to you without any
hitch.

Here is the western union or money gram information in the name of
my accountant to avoid delay in receiving your fund and remember
that I have done my best for you and I will make sure that your wire
will begin to be released to you from the moment you sent this
$350.00.

Send the $350.00 now and send me email with the western union mtcn or
money gram reference numbers when you send the money, you can as
well call me on this number +229-99771896 when you have sent the
money now ok .

Receivers Name:.... DAN ROMAN
Pay-Out Country:... Benin republic
Pay-Out City:Cotonou.
Amount to send: ...$350.00
SEND MTCN NUMBER....

Send it and email the MTCN control number, amount
sent, name and address of sender to me for easy collection and once
again remember to reply through this my official email address
TAKE NOTE: REPLY ONLY THROUGH THIS EMAIL:
Thanks.
Mr. ALEX BEN
Treasury Department, International
Wire Transfers, Federal Ministry of Finance Benin Republic.
Telephone: +229-99771896,

Anti-fraud resources: