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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: "Dr. Carlos Helu" <jimlawson223@gmail.com>
Date:
Subject:

Beloved,

My name is Carlos Slim Helu, a philanthropist, CEO CARLOS SLIM HELU Charity
Foundation, one of the largest Private foundations in the world. I believe
strongly in "giving in life" I have an idea that never changed in my mind -
that one should use his wealth to help people and I decided to donate
this $6,800,000.00 (six Million Eight Hundred Thousand US
Dollars) so you that you can use it to help yourself and your family;
this is part of my donation to you and your family as this deadly disease
covid-19 have dominated the whole today and put a lot of people in poverty.

I am currently in the hospital as i am sending this letter to you,
This fund, the sum of (six Millions Eight Hundred Thousand US
Dollars) is currently deposited with a security company in London, and
i deposited this fund with this security company as "Safe-Keeping" and
i made them to understand that the fund is for charity purpose which
my beneficiary will contact them for the claim of the fund any time
i wish to do so; and they accepted. This fund is my hard earned money, i
suffered to make this money when i was still physically strong, and i
wouldn't allow my hard earned money to be
inherited by the British government when i die, because my medical
report yesterday night shows/indicates that i am not going to live
more than 2 months from now and i wouldn't like my money to be
inherited by the British government. That is why i have
been looking for every possible means to find whom i will keep this
fund in his care so that the person can receive the fund and use it to
help the poor since i am not going to be alive to handle the
humanitarian projects myself due to my current ill health condition.

Please if you welcome this letter from me then get back to me as soon
as possible to enable me provide you more necessary information regarding the
transaction on how the fund will be transferred to you.

For more information, please visit the websites below to find out more about me:

https://www.businessinsider.com/carlos-slim-helu-is-mexicos-wealthiest-man-2015-7#slim-holds-stakes-in-several-other-publicly-traded-companies-including-caixabank-

and-the-new-york-times-8

http://www.carlosslim.com/biografia_ing.html

Reply to my private email address: redacted@domain.name

Note: Any delay from you will prompt me to start searching for someone else.

Yours Sincerely,
Dr Carlos.
President, Carlos Slim Helu Foundation.

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