joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: esther john <estherj@amicable.biz>
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2010 17:15:55 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: From Mrs. Esther John





Dear Friend,
Greetings to you and to your entire family,
In a brief introduction, I am Mrs. Esther John, I'm married to Late Eng. John Daniel of blessed memory, until his death he was an oil wells drilling and maintenance contractor with major oil companies for twenty four years before he died in the year 2007. We were married for years without a child.
My Husband died after a brief illness that lasted for only two weeks. Before his death we were devoted Christians and philanthropists. Since his death I have been battling with both cancer and fibroid sickness that has defiled all kind of medical treatments from different medical experts.
Recently, my doctor told me that I have only a short time to live due to my cancer sickness.
When my late Husband was alive he made a huge deposit of the sum of 4.5 Million U.S dollar with an institution, which he intended to use in extending/funding humanitarian and charity projects in your country eventually before his sudden death occurred. Presently, this funds is still with the institution where my late husband made the deposit, hence I wanted to recover from my ill health before I can claim the deposit to continue with the charity works according to the will and desire of my late husband, but unfortunately I could no longer make it by myself due to my ill fated health and short life to live here on earth as predicted by my doctors.
Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund I inherited from my late husband to an honest person that will utilize this money the way I will instruct herein.
I'm writing to you to seek your sincere and honest co-operation to receive this deposit on my behalf and use it in all sincerity to aid the poor, orphanages, widows and charity organizations in your country and across the globe regardless of religion, cast or creed.
I'm taking this decision because I don't have any child or heir that will inherit this money besides, relatives and friends have plundered so much of my wealth since my illness, I cannot live with the agony of entrusting this noble wish of me and my late husband to any of them. I don't want my husband's hard earned money to be misused by his greedy relatives or used in an ungodly manner.
As soon as I receive your reply, I will issue a letter of authority stating thet the said deposit have being willed to you and authorizing that the said deposit should be released to you forthwith, a copy of the letter of authorization/my last Will shall be forwarded to you with further directives on how to reach the institution to arrange for the possible claim of the deposit on my behalf.
All I needed from you is your assurances that you will use this deposit to fulfill the desire of me and my late husband as I have stated herein.
Send your reply to me via email and assure me if you can handle this project, any delay in your reply will give room in sourcing for another God fearing and honest Individual for this same purpose.
May the Almighty GOD continue to guide and protect you.
Mrs. Esther John



Anti-fraud resources: