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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: JAMES BARON <james.baron7@btinternet.com>
Reply-To: jamesbaron1@rediff.com
Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 14:21:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: DEAR KINDLY URGENT.

FROM THE DESK OF
JAMES BARON
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT

Hello Dear Friend.

I am Mr. James baron, the Chief auditor of a bank here in
London I got your contact from a business directory. There
is an account opened in our bank in 1990, and since 1997,
nobody operated on this account again. After going through
some old files in the records, I discovered that if I do not
remit this money out urgently it will forfeit for nothing.
The owner of this account is Mr. Smith B. Andreas,, an
engineer, and a miner at Kruger Gold Co. a geologist by
profession and he died since 1997. No other person knows
about this account or anything, concerning it. The account
has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me
as well that this company does not know anything about this
account and the amount involved is (25 m) twenty five
million British pounds.


I want to transfer this money into a safe foreigner account
abroad,
but I don't know any Foreigner. I am only contacting you as
a foreigner as this money cannot be proved to Local banks,
but can only be approved to any foreign account because the
money is in British pounds and the former owner of the
account Mr. Smith B. Andreas, is a foreigner too. I know that
this message will come to you as a surprise as we don't know
our selves before, never mind be sure that this it is a real
and genuine business. You are the only person that I have
contacted in this business believing God that you will not
get over me, please reply urgently so that i will inform
you the next step to take send also your private telephone
and fax number. It is important to inform you also that my
Retirement from service will take effect in Aug 2010.


So I need to pay inn this money into a reliable foreign
account
Before the end of July, 2010 also I want us to meet face
to face or sign a binding agreements you can receive this
money into a foreign account or any account or any account
of your choice where the fund will be safe and I will fly
to your country for withdrawal and sharing. I am contacting
you because of the need to involve a foreigner with a
foreign account and a foreign beneficiary. I need your full
co-operation to make this work. The management is ready to
approve this payment to any foreigner who has correct
information of this account, which I will give to you later
immediately, if you are able, and with capability to handle
such amount in strict confidence and trust according to my
instructions and advice for our mutual benefit because I
don't want to make mistakes.


I need strong rangeland trust with my position now
in the office; I can transfer this money to any foreign
account,
reliable account that can provide me with assurance
that this money will be intact pending physical arrival in
your country for sharing. I will destroy all documents of
that are involved immediately we receive this money leaving
no trace to any place. At conclusion of this business you
will be given 40% of the total amount 55% percent will be
for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties might
incur during the process of transfer.

Best regards
James baron

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