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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: Mrs Rosemary George <mrsrosemarygeorge@ssummail.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:41:19 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL

Dear Sir / Madam,

Greetings to you.

I am Mrs Rosemary George, 55 years old from Cote d'Ivoire and now in General Hospital Cote d'Ivoire. I have been suffering from a protracted Cancer of the Lungs which has also affected my brain. From all indications, my health condition is really deteriorating and it is
quite obvious that I could not live for the next four months according to my doctor's advice. This is because the cancer stage has eaten deep into me. Before I got married, I was brought up in an ORPHANAGE HOME ( Motherless Babies Home) and have no family of my own till I got married to my late husband for more than twenty years without a child.

My husband was a well-known Building and Civil Engineering Contractors. He had a very serious Car accident and before his death we were dedicated Christians. Since his death I decided not to re-marry. I have sold all my inherited properties for the treatment of
this illness yet no improvement till date instead it continuous to grow worse and worse every day and my suffering contineous to rise too.

Before the death of my husband on 17th January, 2010, he carefully revealed to me about Bank Lodgment Receipt of US$15,500,000 (Fifteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars) he deposited with one of the leading banks here. He said that he used my name as the Next of Kin. He further explained that this money belonged to him alone. Presently, the money is still with the bank. I once contacted the bank with a copy of the Bank Lodgment Receipt for the claim as the beneficiary. The bank went through their file and discovered that my claim was genuine, they told me to go and come back any time I am ready, but my problem is this sickness.

Presently, I am sending this message from the staffs laptop in a hospital where I have been undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs. It is my last wish to see that this money is invested to any organization of your choice and distributed each year among the Charity Organizations, the poor and the motherless babies homes where I belong.

You will be entitled to 30% from this money as your compensation. Thereafter you distribute the rest to Orphanage Homes.

Therefore, as soon as I receive your reply, I shall involve the services of our family lawyer who will help you to arrange for the transfer of the money to you through the bank.
Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated above but if you know that you will not act acording to my wish, do not reply me.

God bless you.

Sincerely Yours,
Mrs Rosemary George


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