joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "CATHOLIC CHARITIES ORGANISATION" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <wc_britihsairway.operative.dept@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:22:44 -0000
Subject: CONGRATULATION: URGENLY RESPOND TO THIS INFORMATION

Providing Help, Creating Hope, Serving All.
           
                   From The Promotion Department Catholic Charities Organization
                                                Archdiocese of Roma
 
                          Cash Grant Program Coordinator
 
I acknowledge the receipt of your email. As a beneficiary to the Catholic Charities grants awards which was founded since 1917. You might be wondering how you where chosen to be as a benefactor what is this grant all about? Well I will take my time to explain certain things to you. These grants are issued every year around the world in accordance with the objective of the Catholic Charities as stated by the ruling counsel, which is to ensure the continuous freedom of man and to enhance mans living conditions.
 
To anyone in need by providing compassionate, competent and professional services that strengthen and support individuals, families and communities based on the value and dignity of human life, the Catholic Charities Foundation is giving out a donation of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Euro (1,500,000.00 EUR), each to 3 lucky benefactors. These specific Donations / Grants will be awarded to 3 lucky international benefactors worldwide; in different categories for providing business development and enhancement of educational plans. At least 40% of the awarded funds should be used by you to develop a part of your environment. This is to serve as a measure of universal development strategy, in order to move the funds out and dispatched it to charity organizations, so we resulted to putting faith to test and making a random contact selection.
 
Premium Selection
Based on the random selection exercise of internet websites, web email directory and millions of supermarket cash invoices worldwide, your email was selected from the internet and decided to introduce our plight in this. We are being commune acting with you at this moment as the legitimate bearer /owner of the selected email address, with regards to your volunteering assistance and I would not have any cause to do otherwise, except you state your intention to withdraw your assistance.  You Email Address were selected along with 3 other benefactors to receive the award sum of (1,500,000.00 EUR), as charity donations / aid from the Catholic Charities, in accordance with the enabling act of the Catholic Archdiocese. (Note that beneficiarys email addresses were selected randomly from over 1,000,000 internet web email directory.
 
Catholic Charities Organization is the largest private, not-for-profit social service agency, annually assisting more than 870,000 families and individuals in Cook and Lake Countries without regard to religious, national, racial, ethnic or economic background. The Foundation has pledged $5.5 million to sponsor a career center, counseling and job training services, ongoing operations and a garden for homeless veterans.
 
Different individuals from different works of life have offered these Grant, which sole aim is for the betterment of mans existence through your own initiatives. Most individuals will not be the ones to find a cure for cancer, or eliminate poverty, or help create world peace, but every man and woman and child can do something to help others and to make things a little better. The Catholic Charities, is deeply involved with helping people, it spends more every day around the World helping orphans in orphanages/ motherless homes. The Catholic Charities have donated some money to orphans in Sudan, South Africa, Cameroon, Brazil, Spain, Austria, Germany and some Asian countries just to make life a little easier and the great majority of that help goes to people, without regard to religious, national, racial, ethnic or economic background.
 
I need you to give me your words that you will be very honest and straight forward with me when the cash prize gets to you, So long as you can execute this transaction successfully and assist to dispatch 40% of the fund to charity organizations. I strongly advice that you keep this to yourself to avoid double claims, as this our Catholic Mission is being sponsored by the World Bank for United Nation's Children's Funds (UNICEF) and United Nations Development Programmed (UNDP).I wish to congratulate you on receipt of your approval from our Finance Sponsors as regards to the claims of your Grant Fund to the tune of (1,500,000.00 EUR), I will be giving you all the necessary assistance needed to claim these funds from the Courier Company the sum of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Euro (1,500,000.00 EUR), You are expected to contact our accredited Courier Company via email in order to claim the fund and begin the missionary program in good faith.
 
Contact British Airways World Cargo Courier 
Contact Information Delivery Department
Officer in Charge: Mr. Frankly More
Courier Company E-Mail: wc_britihsairway.operative.dept@hotmail.co.uk
Tell: +44 701 424 4439
      +44 703 595 1253
 
Forward youre Below Details TO British Airways World Cargo Courier Company
Full Name: ---------------------------
Sex: ------------------------------------
Country: --------------------------
Age: -------------------------------------
Occupation: ------------------------------------
Contact Address: -------------------
Mobile Number: -------------------------
 
Catholic Charity Organization
Email: archdiocese_leader_co.operate_unitdept@live.co.uk
Honorable Richard Bates.
TEL1: +44 871 315 9754
 
You can also attach a Copy of your Current Passport Photograph/International Passport/Drivers License or any form of Identification. I have officially issue out your full details and a Letter of Administration to British World Cargo Courier confirming you to being the true and certified beneficiary to the GRANT sum of One Million Five Hundred Thousand Euro (1,500,000.00 EUR),
 
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
You are to always indicate your transaction file code in any responding mail to me in order to reply you back as we do have similar emails claiming to be the catholic charity benefactor. I advice you to keep this to yourself.
 
Yours in Christ,
 
Honorable Richard Bates.
Secretary and Treasurer,
Cash Grant Program Coordinator.
Transaction File Code: GRTB19738796

Anti-fraud resources: