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: Ms Wendy Machin <info.htb.mswendymachin@gmail.com>
Reply-To: johnsonken315@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 11:47:57 -0800
Subject: RE:GOOD MORNING

Attention Bequest

I wish to have a discussion with you regarding a deceased client who
had a substantial fixed money deposit with my bank.
In the year 2019, one Kim Lee came to our bank to discuss business
with our Private Banking Service. He informed us that he had Twenty
Three Million US Dollars ($23,000,000) in finance that he wanted us to
turn over (Invest) on his behalf, I am the the agent assigned to his
case and I have been given a lot of advice on my duties as the Chief
Operating Officer of the Private Banking Department, especially
considering the amount of money he would like to put in our bank.
After discussing with him on the business, we opened account in our
bank on his behalf and deposited the $23,000,000.

Few months later by January 2020, his attention was needed regarding a
business which I was going to discuss with him but I was unable to
reach him, we traced his house in China Wuhan and we was only notified
that he was dead along side his only son because they contacted
covid-19.

It's obvious that he was a Korean citizen but he has based in China
for over 40 years with his only son, in this case there is no one that
can claim the money in his account because all his address and
information is China.

Now this is where I needed you to be involve, the money has stayed
longer in our bank and the ministry of finance wants to claim the
money and which is not good.

Late Beneficiary died with his immediate family as a result of the
coronavirus pandemic. All efforts to reach his distant family members
proved abortive. The bank will pay out the funds to you as his next of
kin without any further delay. In your return mail I will discuss with
you on how this will work and how the funds will be distributed
between us.

Therefore you're required to send me your personal details such as
Names.... Address..... Telephone number.... ID card Copy,..... this
will enable the attorney to process the needful documents which will
be needed from you to bank.

Yours sincerely.
Mr. Desmond Brown
Director Foreign Operation /banking
United Bank

Anti-fraud resources: