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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: admin@christbasedcounseling.org
Reply-To: claretam003@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2021 19:51:16 +0100
Subject: From Clarence

Compliments of the day to you and hope this message meets you doing well. Let me start by introducing myself; my name is Clarence Tam, an attorney, I am sending you this letter because China Construction Bank has recently concluded an investigation which was not productive in respect of a global search of any kind of relative to a deceased client of ours. You are the 3rd person I am contacting in this regard based on proximity and last name similarity, the other 2 people I couldn't work with, one was a firefighter in North Carolina the other had serious issues with the law. My client has an investment placed under China Construction Bank. Now it is my desire to provide you with more information regarding this project. In the year 2003, my client came to our office for discussions about a financial investment of $18,000,000.00 (Eighteen million United States dollars) which he had invested in China Construction Bank for ten years.

The capital yielded an average of 7.5% annually and is now worth US$ 31,500,00.00 (Thirty one million, five hundred thousand United States dollars). In October 2013, after the arrears were due, we were notified by China Construction Bank of the inactivity on his account, hence my office initiated an investigation which lasted for 18 months and had not found any next of kin as Mr. Albert Delaughter died intestate (without leaving a WILL) in line with his philosophy of not having to make his valuables public.
That's a brief in regards to what I have proposed to you, Once I hear back from you I will provide you with more information on how we are to proceed so in essence I need your total co-operation for us to claim the fund.

I await your prompt response.

Yours truly,
Clarence Tam
reply to
clatam001@gmail.com

Anti-fraud resources: