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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: "ENGR.RICHARD SARPONG" <richard.sarpong@yandex.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 17:40:20 +0000
Subject: URGENT RESPONSE

FROM THE OFFICE OF ENGR.RICHARD SARPONG
MINISTRY OF WORKS AND HOUSING,
HIGH STREET, MINISTRIES COMPLEX,
ACCRA-GHANA.

Dear Sir/Madam,

First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction,this is
by virtue of it's nature as being utterly confidential and top secret as
you were introduced to us in confidence through the Ghana Chamber of
Commerce, foreign trade division.We are top officials from the Ministry of
Works and Housing,(MWH),Ministry of Finance and the presidency,making up
the Contract Review Panel (CRP) set up by the Government of Ghana to review
contracts awarded by the past administration.

In the course of our work on the CRP, we discovered this fund which
resulted from grossly over-invoiced contracts which were executed for the
MWH during the last administration. The companies that executed the
contracts have been duly paid and the contracts commissioned leaving the
sum of US$10.7 Million floating in the escrow account of the Bank of Ghana
ready for payment.

I have therefore been mandated as a matter of trust by my colleagues in the
panel to look for an overseas partner to whom we could transfer the sum of
US10.7M legally subcontracting the entitlement to your company name. This
is bearing in mind that our civil service code of conduct forbids us from
owning foreign company or running foreign account while in government
service hence the need for an overseas partner.

We have agreed that the funds will be shared thus after it has been paid
into your account:

(1) 40% of the money will go to you for acting as the beneficiary of the
funds.
(2) 10% has been set aside as an abstract projection for reimbursement to
both parties for incidental expenses that may be incurred in the course of
the transaction.
(3) 50% to us the government officials (with which we wish to commence an
importation business in-conjunction with you ). All logistics are in place
and all modalities worked out for the smooth conclusion of the transaction
within ten to fourteen days of commencement after receipt of the following
information:

YOUR FULL NAME, YOUR CONTACT ADDRESS, YOUR MOBILE TELEPHONE NUMBERS, YOUR
COUNTRY, MARITAL STATUS, YOUR AGE, SEX (MALE/FEMALE), YOUR OCCUPATION.

These information's will enable my office issue you a Contract Award
Certificate in your name as the contractor who executed the contract and it
will enable us make the applications and lodge claims to the concerned
ministries & agencies in favor of your name and it is pertinent to state
here that this transaction is entirely based on trust as the solar bank
draft drawable in any of the Bank of Ghana correspondent bankers around the
world is going to be made in your name.

Please acknowledge the receipt of this letter using my e-mail address,
stating the above details of yours in other to proceed further.

Yours faithfully,
ENGR.RICHARD SARPONG
My Tel: +233-573-882-435

Anti-fraud resources: