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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: "Mr. Francis White (IMF Director)" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <imfdepartmentunit101@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 2 May 2020 18:21:20 +0200
Subject: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF)

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF) TEXAS USA
International Remittance Fund Dallas Division
Address: 20642 Finnell Ave, Dallas, TX 75220, United States
Contact Person: Mr. Francis White (IMF Director)
Telephone Number: +1-214-617-3215
E-mail: ( imfdepartmentunit01@gmail.com )
 
Attn: Dear Beneficiary,
 
A power of attorney was forwarded to our office this morning by this woman, she is America citizen and her name is Michelle Farrell, This woman claimed to be your representative and this power of attorney stated you died few days ago and she brought an account to replace your information in order to claim your inheritance fund worth of $2,500.000.00 (Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) which is now lying in a dormant account [UNCLAIMED] and below is the account details where she wanted us to transfer the fund to:
 
Full Name: Michelle Farrell
Full Address: 3916 Park Antonio, Calabasas, CA 91302 USA
Telephone Number: 717-681-3340
Occupation: Retired Accountant
Marital Status: Married, 45yrs old
Bank Account: Bank Of America
Account Number: 851 903 2745.
Routing: 65927430
 
And be further informed that this power of attorney she presented stated that you suffered and died of a Throat Cancer but she said that before you past away, you issued this power of attorney in her favor as your next of kin. Therefore you have 24hours to confirm the truth in this information, if you are ALIVE OR NOT?  So kindly contact us immediately because we are working to ensure that this inheritance and compensation payment will be transfer to the rightful beneficiary.
Meanwhile you can call or e-mail us for clarifications on this matter as we shall be available 24hours to speak with you and give you the necessary guidelines on what to do in order to ensure that your payment will be wired to you possession and you should know that any further delay from your side could be dangerous, as we will not be held responsible for any wrong payment.
 
Therefore contact us once you receive this message if you are (REALLY ALIVE) as we have all the information she provided including her passport copy for this payment to be wired to her account for us to get her arrested. But remember that the only fee you are required to pay is obtain the IMF Tax Clearance & Administrative Permits which will cost you only the sum of $395.00 (Three Hundred And Ninety-Five Dollars).
 
But before then, we want you to re-confirm your personal information below to enable us cross-check our database and central computer in order to confirm if the details we have correspondent with the one you provided to any mistakes.
 
(1) Your Full Name:......................
(2) Your Country/State/ City Name:....................
(3) Your Residential Address:..................
(4) Your Occupation/ Position:..............................
(5) Your Marital Status/ Age/ Sex:................................
(6) Your Telephone/ Mobile Number:…………………..
(7) A Cope of Your Passport/ Drivers Licenses:...............
Your Bank Details Below.
(8) Your Bank Name/ Address:……………………
(9) Your Account Number:……………….
(10) Your Swift & Routing Code:…………………..
 
As soon as you provide this information above, we will instruct you on how to send the required fee of $395.00 (Three Hundred And Ninety-Five Dollars) for obtaining the IMF Tax Clearance & Administrative Permits for us to proceed.
 
Best Regards.
Mr. Francis White (IMF Director)
Telephone Number: +1-214-617-3215
E-mail: ( imfdepartmentunit01@gmail.com )

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