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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: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: paymastergeneral.thehonourable@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:27:23 +0100
Subject: ATTN: Dear Beneficiary,.....ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE YOUR FUNDS?


From: The Office of The Presidency,
The Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN).
Tel: Highly Confidential.
Address: 16 Walter Carrington Str. Ikoyi Lagos-Nigeria.
Head Quaters: ASO ROCK VILLA, ABUJA ANNEX OFFICE.
>From the Desk of Chief. Raymond P. Douglas GCON.
Official Web Account: paymastergeneral.thehonourable@gmail.com
Our Ref: FGN/OHG/OXD1/2008
TELEX: FEDGOVNIG.
PAYMENT FILE: FGN/BEN/08.
Date: 16th/October/08.

*****24HRS SERVICE*****

ATTN: Dear Beneficiary,

Release/Transfer Notice for your due Funds (US$10,500,000:00).

Without taking much of your time, my name is Chief. Raymond P.Douglas, the
Honourable Paymaster General of The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

You are quite lucky to be contacted today by this authoritative office for
the Release and Transfer of your intercepted Funds valued US$10,500,000
which some un-approved officials attempted to divert into a secret Account
in the middle East. Presently, the said Fund is under the custody of this
office because our "Financial Monitoring Unit" (F.M.U) discovered that the
said Funds was about to be lodged into a different Account contrary to
yours.

Before we can transfer the said Funds into your own Bank Account, you must
stop all further contact or communication with every other person regarding
your Funds because it is only this office that have the legitimate right and
mandate to Pay you accordingly.

Reply to: paymastergeneral.thehonourable@gmail.com


Officially Sealed,
Chief. Raymond P. Douglas.
The Honourable Paymaster General

Anti-fraud resources: