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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: "UNITED NATIONS COMPENSATIONS" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <patigwe1un@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Jul 2011 10:02:16 +0200
Subject: Immediate Change of your Account!!!!154

Attention,

RE-CHANGE OF ACCOUNT.

I am Mr.Patrick Igwe the newly appointed Director United Nations Legal Affairs, Security and Investigation, The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (DR GOODLUCK JONATHAN) and his Decision Making Body, The Executive Arms of the government, has directed me to come down to Nigeria to Investigate your fund and to make sure that we approve all outstanding debts owed to Foreign beneficiaries by the government of Nigeria in this last quarter of the year 2010.

This decision was taken based on the abnormally and inability of the BANKS in Nigeria to Release your fund into your bank account whereby it was discovered that some Directors in Central bank of NIGERIA being the Federal Government of Nigeria were diverting foreign beneficiary’s payment to another account of their choice overseas. In view of this, during our investigation I found out that an Account was submitted to divert your fund to a German account.

Below is the account submitted and I want you to confirm if you are aware of the new development because we are about effecting payment to the account stated bellow today:

Beneficiary: CERSTIN WENGER SHENOUDA
Bank: FRANKFURTER BANK
A/C No.: 367840545
Code: 50050201

Finally, be informed that a payment instruction has been issued and forwarded to the Treasury Department of the Federal Government of Nigeria in favor of you for immediate release of your fund to the account above without any further prejudice. But there is no way we can approve the fund to your account without you Confirming if you have changed your account for your fund to be transfered to the Beneficiary: CERSTIN WENGER SHENOUDA BANK ACCOUNT IN GERMANY; contact me immediately for further clarification to know if you have giving instruction to transfer your fund to the above account today, you are in obligation to obtain, a Duly Sworn Affidavit from USPIS Liaison Officer here in Nigeria,which will back up the Origin of your Fund. You should therefore contact our payee officer here to get the Sworn Affidavit for you.

Below is his contact information and NOTE THAT THE COST OF THE AFFIDAVIT IS $220 ONLY and You are required to contact me together with the payment fee of $220 and On behalf of the entire management of United Nations, we are congratulating you in advance and if you fail to contact this office on or before 24hrs from now then we will now wire the fund to the German account.

Contact Email: patigwe1un@aol.com

Thanks for your co-operation.

Waiting for your urgent response.

Yours faithfully
Mr.Patrick Igwe
Un Office of Legal Affairs
Security and Investigation

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