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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: "MGT" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <infmgtng@mynet.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 18:11:53 -0600
Subject: REPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.!!

DEBT MANAGEMENT OFFICE
HEAD,RECORDING & SETTLEMENT DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE FOREIGN VERIFICATION UNIT
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
Tel/Fax: +234-1-8423-7172.
E-mail: INFO-DOM.NG@


Attn: Beneficiary .

Re: OUTSTANDING CONTRACT PAYMENT OF USD10.5 MILLION.

I am Mrs. Hannatu Suleiman, Head, Debt Recording & Settlement Department. I hereby bring to your notice that your outstanding Inheritance payment with the Federal Government of Nigeria has reached this office for clarifications before the release. However, without wasting much time, I have personally investigated this payment file down to the Ministry were this contract was executed and from my findings it is clear that you did not execute this contract/Inheritance in question, but only your Email ID that is found amongst the beneficiaries list.

From all available information, it looks like some officials in the Ministry and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were trying to use you to claim this particular Inheritance value which they over invoiced for their own selfish interest. I know it might interest you to know how I managed to find out this truth. I investigated this payment up to the ministry were this contract/inheritance was awarded, and after so much checks I was surprise to see that the most vital/important documents regarding to this Inheritance payment bears a different beneficiary name entirely.

Based on this, I decide to contact the supervisor of the contract/inheritance award and supervisory commission that signed the attestation report, on getting there I collected the contract attestation report only to found out that this document still bears the name: B&B PETROLEUM ENG.PTY as the company that originally executed this contract/Inheritance job. I keep this to myself and came down to my base. As a matter of fact I have been thinking whether to report my findings to the appropriate body for cancellation of this payment, but I have this second thought of contacting you since I am not a saint and in a position to approve this payment for the president to give go ahead. I feel this might be a Gods given opportunity.

So it is based on this I am writing you, if you will accept with my understated conditions I can normalize all the relevant papers of this payment and the funds will be release within 14 working days. I want you to know that, with my position here in this office and Nigeria as a whole, I can amend this problems and this money will be paid to your nominated bank account or via ATM MASTER CARD which both of us will share on a 50/50% if only you will accept with my conditions.

So, if you see it wise to get this perfected with me feel free to get back to me via the email. I shall let you know my conditions as soon as I hear from you.

Yours Sincerely.
Mrs Hannatu Suleiman
Head, Debt Recording & Settlement Department.

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