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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: Keith MacDonald <ke_mac00km@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: keithmacdonald79@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 8 May 2012 17:22:56 -0400
Subject: Proposition/Call me

Greetings from Me,

This message might meet you in utmost surprise, however, I am Keith MacDonald, Managing director, structured corporative finance; I have the responsibility for the bank’s acquisition finance, project finance, Co-Operative asset finance and transportation finance business, I have a very urgent and confidential Business Proposition for you and for our overall mutual interest. On the 23th of February 2004, our customer an Australian national, late Mr. Donald Osborne, an Oil Merchant / Contractor with a private oil Merchandise in England, deposited a valued amount of $37.6 Million in my branch here in London. Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarded address but got no reply, after a month we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers that late Mr. Donald Osborne, died seven years ago in a ghastly motor accident, in his home town in Australia.

On further investigation, I found out that he did not leave a WILL and all attempts to trace his Next of Kin were fruitless. I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr. Donald Osborne, did not declare any Next of kin in all his official documents. This sum $37.6 Million is still floating in the bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year. No one has come forward to claim it.

Hence I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be transferred into, whereby making you as the next of kin to the fund with the help of a well accredited attorney here in London, and after that to be shared between us in the ratio of 60/40 (40% for you while 60% for me) If you agree to my business proposal.

Further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your positive response, you can always send your response to this email address macdonaldkeith16@yahoo.com or call me on my mobile number +44 701 116 4380 for more discussion and clarification about this business.

Yours Sincerely,

Keith MacDonald
+44 701 116 4380

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