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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: "Barr. Evans Thomas ESQ" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <barrevans.thomas76@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2023 08:23:02 -0800
Subject: Re. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023 TO YOU FRIEND

Dear Friend,
 
Happy new year to you and your family my friend, this proposal will come to you as a surprise. This is because we have not met before but I am inspired to send you this email to you following the huge fund transfer opportunity that will be of mutual benefit to us.
 
However, I am Barrister Evans Thomas Esq. Attorney to the late Eng. Ronald Johnson, a national of Northern America, worked with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Nigeria. On the 11th of November, 2008. My client, his wife, and their three children were involved in a car accident along Sagamu/Lagos Express Road.
 
Unfortunately, they all lost their lives in the event of the accident, since then I have made several inquiries to several Embassies to locate any of my clients' extended relatives, but this has also proved unsuccessful.
 
After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to locate any member of his family but to no avail, hence I contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my client, I can easily convince the bank with my legal practice that you are the only surviving relation of my client. Otherwise, the Estate he left behind will be confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank where these huge deposits were lodged. Particularly, the Bank where the deceased had an account valued at about $15 million U.S. dollars (Fifteen million U.S. American dollars).
 
Consequently, the bank issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated within the next ten official working days. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over several years now. I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased so that the proceeds of this account valued at $ 15 million U.S. dollars can be paid to your account, and then you and I can share the money. 50% to me and 50% to you.
 
All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us to see this project through and also forward the following to me:
 
Your Full Names:
Youre House Address:
Youre Tele-phone And Fax No:
Your Age and Gender:
Youre Nationality:
Youre Occupation:
 
I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. You can reply through this Email address < barrevans.thomas76@yahoo.com >
 
Yours Faithfully,
Barrister Evans Thomas

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