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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: "Alxender Gustova" <eln.haa@utahforest.com>
Reply-To: abelgustavojr@gmail.com
Date: 14 Nov 2022 08:54:20 -0800
Subject: Hello

Dear friend,

I write you this very confidential proposal in good faith hoping
that
I will rely on you. This has to do with an (abridged account) In
2010,
one Mr. Othman M. who non resident of Spain,, made a fixed
deposit,
valued at Euro 12,200,000.00 (Twelve million Two hundred thousand
Euros) with our bank in SPAIN. He was an oil merchant and an
Engineering contractor working with (Asturiana de Zinc S.A)

He came here in SPAIN for an Engineering work exploration from
your
country before he made the deposit through his Swiss account in
Switzerland! I was his account officer. Unfortunately, while on a
business trip, he died in a deadly Tsunami earthquake that
occurred on
March 11, 2011 in Sendai Japan that killed many people.

The management of our bank has been sourcing for a means to reach
him
so as to ascertain if he will want to roll over the Deposit or
have
the contract sum withdrawn, when I discovered that this will
happen, I
learnt of his death, so I have tried to think up a procedure to
preserve this fund and use the proceed for charity.

Our Bank Managing director have been trying to find out from me
the
information about this account and the owner, but I have kept it
closed to my heart because I know that if they become aware of
his
death, they will corner the funds for themselves and for their
private
use and leave me with nothing.

Therefore, I am seeking your co-operation to present you as the
one to
benefit from his fund at his death. So that my bank headquarters
will
pay the funds to you. I have done enough inside bank arrangement
and I
only have to put in your details into the information network in
the
bank computers database and reflect you as his next of kin to the
deceased Othman M.

This is a risk free operation as long as no one else beside you
knows
about this. I immensely request for your optimum honesty and
cooperation and Let
me know your mind on this, and please do treat this information
as Top
secret. We shall go over the details once I receive your urgent
response strictly through my personal email address, my email id
is.(
gustavoalexender90@gmail.com ) Send me your phone number for easy
communication.

Please observe this instruction religiously. Please, again, note
I am
a family man with a Daughter. I send you this mail not without a
measure of doubt as to what the consequences could be for me if
my
Bank finds out about my secret plan. Please let this be a top
secret
between us.

The sharing should formula would be 45% for me, 45% for you and
then
10% to Charity.


Best Regards,
Mr. Gustavo Alexender

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