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: Michael <michael_bla247@w.cn>
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:29:23 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: From: Michael Bla





From:  Michael Bla
Cotonou(Republic of Benin)
E-mail:  michael_bla27@yahoo.co.jp
 
Dear Beloved:
 
Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I got your contact and chosed you by faith as a Christian. I must not hesitate to confide in you for this legal, truethful and Godly relationship. I am Michael Bla the only son of late Mr and Mrs Serge Bla. I am 22 years old.  My father was a very wealthy cocoa merchant in Cotonou(Republic of Benin), my father was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outings on a business trip to France. My mother died when I was a baby and since then my father took me so special.
 
Before the death of my father in a private hospital here in Cotonou he secretly called me on his sick bed side and told me that he has the sum of Five million five hundred thousand United State Dollars. (USD$5.500,000), left in fixed/suspense account in a bank here in Cotonou, he used my name as his only son for the next of Kin in depositing of the fund. My late father Instructed me to seek for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where I will transfer this money and use it for investment purpose such as real estate management, hotel management or any other lucrative business venture. Dear, I am honourably seeking for your assistance in the following ways:
 
(1)To provide a bank account in which this money would be transferred to.
(2)To serve as my guardian and of this fund since I am only 22years.
(3)To make arrangement for me to come over to your country to further my education.
 
Note: I am willing to offer you 30% of the total sum as compensation for your effort/ input after the successful transfer of this fund to your nominated bank account. please make sure that you write me very fast, it is urgent.
 
Anticipating to hear from you soon.
 
Yours faithfully,
Michael Bla



Anti-fraud resources: