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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: Ian Reed <reed.ian74@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ianreed6@tlen.pl
Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:27:58 -0500
Subject: PAYMENT CERTIFIED AND APPROVED

From the Desk Of Ian Reed
Office Of The Director
British Finance Monitoring Unit.
Tell:+447024035686

Attn: Sir,

Be inform that it has come to our notice that a huge sum of money has been
credited in your name for transfer and is currently floating in the
international banking community.

Under the stipulated Law of the Government of Great Britain and other member
countries of the United Nations, any huge amount of money that has
been found in
the international computer data system waiting to be transferred
without claims
for a period of 6 months or less, shall be confiscated and forfeited to the
United Nations account.

We do hereby ask you to contact this office immediately for
ratification within
the 3 days of this notice by forwarding to us all your current information
including your direct telephone number and postal address where your payment
release documents will be send to you in order for us to confirm your personal
receipt of this fund or consider your fund confiscated. We appreciate your
urgent co-operation.

Be informed that as soon as we receive your current data then we will endorse
with the legal preparation of your payment release documents and immediately
instruct our authorized Bank of International Settlement (BIS) to release your
funds by forwarding your file to them for immediate payment consideration.

We standby waiting for the information by responding through this my direct
email Address:

Your's Faithfully,

Ian Reed,
The Director
British Finance Monitoring Unit.

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: THIS COMMUNICATION AND ITS ATTACHMENTS MAY CONTAIN
NON-PUBLIC, CONFIDENTIAL OR LEGALLY PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. THE UNLAWFUL
INTERCEPTION, USE OR DISCLOSURE OF SUCH INFORMATION IS PROHIBITED. IF YOU ARE
NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, OR HAVE RECEIVED THIS COMMUNICATION IN
ERROR, PLEASE
NOTIFY THE SENDER IMMEDIATELY BY REPLY EMAIL AND DELETE ALL COPIES OF THIS
COMMUNICATION AND ATTACHMENTS WITHOUT READING OR SAVING THEM.

Anti-fraud resources: