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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: Andrew Stevens <aslaw45@outlook.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2013 08:26:32 +0200
Subject: VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ MESSAGE CONTENT

Dear Sir/Madam,

This letter may come to you as a surprise but due to the way I got your
contact I was pleased to confide this secret with you as long as you do not
betray me at the end. However, my name is Andrew Stevens, attorney to a
contractor with a major South African mining company. Unfortunately this
contractor died with his entire family in a plane crash about five years
ago during a summer holiday trip to the Bahamas.

I am contacting you because you happen to bear the same surname with that
of this contractor who was my client and as a result of that I will like to
present you to the bank as the Next of Kin/Heirs to inherit the funds left
behind my client and disburse it within me and you. Going by the ultimatum
letter sent to me by the holding bank, they intend to confiscate the total
funds if I cannot provide any of his relative to make claim. I cannot front
myself to make a claim due to the fact I am not relative but only a legal
representative to the deceased. As his lawyer/attorney, I decided to
contact you to enable me front you as the surviving relative to my late
client in order for the holding bank to acknowledge you as the beneficiary
to the said fund.

The principal amount is US$7.5 Million. I have already worked out all the
necessary modalities to execute the claim/transfer successfully putting
legalities into consideration; hence I seek your consent if interested to
enable me sends you more details concerning this proposal.

If you are interested and willing to participate, kindly reply to this
email message by sending me your full names, address, phone numbers, age
and occupation.

I look forward to your response and thank you.
Regards,

Mr. Andrew Stevens

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