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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: "Captain Greg" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <cptgreg365@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 17 May 2014 03:00:56 +0100
Subject: CAN YOU?

Dear Friend,



Greetings to you, I know this letter will definitely come to you as a surprise,

but I implore you to take the time to go through it carefully as the decision

you make will go off a long way to determine my future and continued existence.

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am CAPTAIN GREG, in fourth Battalion,

64th Armored Regiment unit here that Patrols the Helmand province, Afghanistan.

I am desperately in need of assistance and I have summoned up courage to contact

you.



I am presently in Afghanistan and I found your contact particulars in an address

journal. I am seeking your assistance to evacuate the sum of $6.2 Million (Six

Million Two hundred thousand United States Dollars) to you, as far as I can be

assured that it will be safe in your care until I complete my service here. This

is no stolen money and there are no dangers involved.



SOURCE OF MONEY:

Some money in US DOLLARS was discovered and concealed in barrels at a location

in Helmand province when we conducted a foot patrol and it was agreed by all

party present that the money be shared amongst us. This might appear as an

illegal thing to do but I tell you what? No compensation can make up for the

risks we have taken with our lives in this hellhole. The above figure was given

to me as my share and to conceal this kind of money became a problem for me, so

with the help of a Canadian contact working with the UN here (his office enjoys

some immunity) I was able to get the package out to a safe location entirely out

of trouble spot. He does not know the real contents of the package as he

believes that it belongs to an American who died in an air raid, who before

giving up trusted me to hand over the package to his close relative.



I have now found a secured way of getting the package out of Afghanistan for you

to pick up. I do not know how long I will remain here, as I have been lucky to

survive two suicide bomb attacks by Pure Divine intervention. This and other

reasons put into consideration have prompted me to reach out for help. If it

might be of interest to you then Endeavor to contact me immediately and we would

work out the necessary formalities but I pray that you are discreet about this

mutually benefiting relationship.



Please reply to me immediately.



Respectfully,

Captain Greg,

United States Soldier, Afghanistan

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