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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: "MR.GEORGE OSUNGBOYE" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <georgeosungboye@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:33:23 -0800
Subject: Truth of the Matter

Attn: Beneficiary,
                                                    Truth of the Matter
I am compelled to write you in respect of your fund remittance, which transfer has remained unsuccessful. I am very sure that you must have lost hope of ever getting your fund transfer released especially after all the frustrations, endless disappointment and broken promises in the hands of some officials.
However, I am writing you because I am familiar with the history of this fund release. My privileged knowledge and acquaintance with this payment issue is due to my closeness and association with the immediate past Finance Minister, who I worked with from 2006 until his voluntary retirement in September 2010, and in addition to the current position which I still maintain within the Ministry as such and must not be revealed to any other Nigerian official no matter your cordiality and closeness.
This request must be noted in view of the fact that the current Finance Minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is yet to be briefed on some outstanding issues and information by his predecessor and other top officials of the Ministry who are not political appointees and who have worked in the Ministry for more than 2decades. Briefly, I am quite sure that you must be wondering the reason behind the non-release of your long awaited fund after our Government officially granted approval for its remittance. I may also believe that you would have received countless, unconfirmed and spurious payment Advices and remittance instructions from some officials indicating that they have granted approval for the transfer of your fund.
You may have also been directed to visit different cities and countries with the instruction that your fund would be released at such payment post or that your fund could be delivered to you at your residence. All these are cooked up Stories from impostors who wish to extort money from you while they do not have any knowledge of the true position of your fund transfer. Meanwhile, I would like you to note the following.
(1) Our government has granted irrevocable payment approval for your fund remittance.
(2) Official release of this fund according to the record from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and Ministry of Finance have been duly effected and documented.
(3) Your fund is presently being held at Union Bank of Nigeria, the only authorized and approved bank by the Federal Government to handle all foreign contract debts.
However for the avoidance of doubt, the reason for the non-release of your fund is due to the fact that the paying Bank has not received any direct instruction about the beneficiary of the outstanding amount as the fund is still being held in the name of the original contractor's name Elblan IND.S.A. Luxembourg, in view of the non-provision of a proof of ownership of the fund and you were not told the truth by your Nigerian representatives to change Elblan IND.S.A. Luxembourg's name to your own name in other to enable you claim the fund because your Nigerian representatives is very much aware that once the truth about your fund release is told, it will put an end to their illegal extortion from you.
If you are very certain that you will not disclose this information to anyone, get back to me and I will give you further directives on what you should do immediately.
NB: You are to stop further dealings with any of your Nigeria Representatives with immediate effect, so to stop further extortion.
Yours sincerely,
Mr.George Osungboye

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