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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: "U.S. Interpol" <ha1733621@gmail.com>
Reply-To: usinterpol@onet.com.pl
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2022 17:18:07 -0600
Subject: U.S. INTERPOL Washington DC (Urgent Information)

--
U.S INTERPOL Washington
U.S. National Central Bureau
Washington, DC 20004, USA

Attention:

Foremost, we present to you this commission, INTERPOL. We fight global
crime, including internet fraud and money laundering. Our commission has
identified over 27,000 fraudsters and we are still fighting these nefarious
individuals. We are aware that many people have been deceived and huge sums
of money have been lost and stolen.

The United Nations has vowed to combat these crimes. As such, through their
efforts and contributions, we have been able to recover over Four Hundred
and Twenty-Two Million United States Dollars (US$422 Million Dollars) to
date.

Among the details, yours was found to include your email. Our goal is to
return all lost assets, including funds, to identified legitimate
individuals. After a mandated investigation into those apprehended, the
United Nations (UN) has approved a total sum of US$2.5 Million Dollars, as
compensation for the funds you have lost. This amount will be paid to you
in the coming days with your cooperation as we begin to conclude the
investigation of your case.

It was a great surprise to receive an authorization letter this morning
authorizing Mrs. Alison Robert to claim your funds, the authorization
letter identified Mrs. Alison Robert as your family relatives stated that
you passed away few months ago as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) and
you authorized her to receive your compensation funds worth US$2.5 Million
Dollars, is that true? We will ask you a series of questions to help us
complete your file.

You are therefore given 48hours to confirm the authenticity of the
authorization letter submitted by your family relative, If you are still
alive, you are to contact us back immediately, as we are working around the
clock only to ensure that we monitor all ongoing activities with respect to
the release of beneficiaries' inheritance and compensation payments.

You are to reply to this office immediately for clarifications on this
matter as we shall be available 24hours to attend to you and provide you
with the necessary official guidelines on how to ensure that your fund is
redeemed to you immediately as the legitimate beneficiary.

Please also be aware that any further delay on your part could be
dangerous, as we will not be held responsible for any incorrect payment to
Mrs. Alison Robert's account.

We await your swift response to this notification via this email address
for easy communication : (USINTERPOL@ONET.COM.PL)

Best Regards.

Michael A. Hughes
Director
INTERPOL Washington DC.

Anti-fraud resources: