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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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Fraud email example:

From: "timcon@flashmail.com" <timcon@flashmail.com>
Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 02:08:48 -0700
Subject: REAL OPPORTUNITY.

Timothy Conwell
Valiant Private Bank AG
Postfach 3001
Bern, Swizerland
Confidential Tel:+871 763593838
Confidential Fax:+871 763593836
Email:tim_conwell@yahoo.co.uk
Date:18-05-2005
Dear,

PRIVATE AND URGENT
I am contacting you on business transfer of a huge sum
of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a
transaction of this magnitude will make any one
apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that
all will be well at the end of the day. We decided to
contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

PROPOSITION.
We discovered an abandoned sum of US$ 7,500,000:00
(Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand United State
Dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our
foreign customers who died along with his entire
family. Since his death, none of his next-of-kin or
relations has come forward to lay claims for this
money as the heir. We cannot release the fund from his
account unless someone applies for claim as the
next-of ?kin to the deceased as indicated in our
banking guidelines. Upon this discovery, we now seek
your permission to have you stand as a next of kin to
the deceased as all documentations will be carefully
worked out by us for the funds (US$7,500,000:00) to be
released in your favor as the beneficiaries next of
kin. It may interest you to know that we have secured
from the probate an order of madamus to locate any of
deceased beneficiaries.

Please acknowledge receipt of this message in
acceptance of our mutual business endeavor by
furnishing me with the following:

1.Beneficiary Name and Address
2.Direct Telephone and Fax numbers.

These requirements will enable us fill letter of claim
to the appropriate departments for necessary approvals
in your favor before the transfer can be made. We
shall be compensating you with a million dollars on
final conclusion of this projects, while the rest
shall be for us for investment purposes, if this
proposal is acceptable to you, do not take undue
Advantage of the trust we have bestowed in you.

Kindly notify me by telephone on my Direct Tel:+871 763
593 838 and Fax:+871 763593836
I await your urgent response,

Regards,

Timothy Conwell.

N/B:please reply to Email:tim_conwell@yahoo.co.uk

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