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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: MRS MAGARRITA <timothymosses19@gmail.com>
Reply-To: magarritabias@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2023 02:48:43 -0700
Subject: URGENCY NEEDED

My dear greetings to you,

I crave your indulgence at this mail coming from somebody you have not
known before. I decided to do this after praying over the situation.

You should please consider the transaction on its content and not the
fact that you have not known me before. I need not dwell on how I came
by your contact information because there are many such possibilities
these days. My name is Mrs. Magarrita Pat Bias, from Sao-tome and
Príncipe Republic Island, widow to Late Mr. B. Bias (former Minister
of Tourism and Culture in Sao-tome and Príncipe Republic Island. I
have recently been diagnosed of Cancer of the pelvis. I am writing you
from my sick bed

There is this USD$17.2M (Seventeen Million Two Hundred Thousand
American Dollars) my husband has in an account with the (B.O.A) Bank
of Africa Uganda because of his position in the government of our
country he cannot introduce this amount of money in the banking system
in our country ,of which I am the next of kin. With my health
condition, because my husband and I have no children, I am looking for
a credible person to whom I will pass the rights of next of kin. This
person will apply to the bank and request for the transfer of the fund
to his/her bank account. This is on the condition that you will take
30% of the total fund for yourself, 5% used for expenses, while you
will use the remaining 65% for the less privileged people in the
society. This is in fulfillment of the last request of my husband that
a substantial part of the fund be used to carter for the less
privileged.

I cannot do this myself any more. I once asked members of my family
to close one of my late husband’s bank accounts and donate the money
which I have there to the less privilege people in the society; they
refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them
anymore, as they seem not to be contented with what I have left for
them. If this condition is acceptable to you, you should contact me
immediately with your full names and contact information so that I
will ask our family lawyer to prepare the authorization that will give
you the right of next of kin to the account in the bank. I will also
give you a text of the application you are to send to the bank.

I cannot predict what will be my fate by the time the fund will be
transferred into your account, but you should please ensure that the
fund is used as I have described above.

N.B: Please reply as quickly as you can if you’re capable and have an
interest, because I don’t know what tomorrow may be in my life, and my
doctor said that the current stage is out of control and I have only a
few weeks to live.

Remain Blessed

Thanks for your kind understanding.

Your quick response will be highly appreciated.

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