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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: "Jos Sclater" (may be fake)
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2012 13:34:49 +0100
Subject: Urgent Reply Needed !!!

Lawyer Jos Sclater
2 Kennington Rd
Ashford,
Kent TN24 0NH,
United Kingdom
+44-7700011002
 
Greeting to you, the inspiration to contact you is simply divine providence,
I am making this proposition because I have to seek the partnership of a resourceful person to help me realize this project.
 
I am Lawyer Jos Sclater a solicitor and investment consultant based in London, United Kingdom. I was attending a business lunche in Berlin,Germany where I got to know the renowned German businessman and property mogul, Mr. Andreas Schranner (of blessed memory).
 
He engaged my services as attorney and investment consultant, however my primary assignment was to spear head his investment forays in the United Kingdom.
Three months later I invited him to London for business/investment purpose,on this regard he made a fixed deposit of 4.8 Million Great Britain Pounds sterling at a financial institution here in the United Kingdom
 
This deposit was for 12 months and upon maturity I made effort to contact my client, I could not reach him or any member of his family. I was forced to travel to Germany and there I got the tragic news that on July 25 2000, my client Mr. Andreas Schranner, his wife Maria, their daughter Eich and husband Christian and two children perished in the air France Concorde New York bound flight; please click on the below link for late Mr. Andreas Schranner death report on BBC News.
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
 
I have made efforts to locate any member of his family with strong biological links to my late client without success. The search to find a close relation is one that has consumed time and resources. The institution is asking me to either present a next of kin to late Andreas Schranner. His foreign business partner based on the Memorandum of understanding (M.O.U) signed during the deposition of the fund or forfeit the deposit. My proposal is to package, present you as next of kin or foreign business partner to late Andreas Schranner in other to repatriate the fund from the financial institution.
 
All I require is your sincerity, honesty, co-operation and utmost good faiths to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.
 
I will give you 40% for your effort, 50% for me and 10% for Charity and Hurricane Katrina Victims. It will amount to injustice if I do not take this decisive step to secure this deposit, and invest it. The late Schranner was also a friend in addition to our business relationship.
 
I will wait for your reaction and response and then together we can jump start this project and nurture it to reality.
 
Yours Sincerely,
Jos Sclater

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