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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: "DAVID CAMPBELL" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <frdirec.davidcampbell@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2012 21:03:22 +0530
Subject: GOOD NEWS..............................HOW ARE YOU DOING

From: Mr. David Campbell
Country: London, United Kingdom
Occupation: Professional Banker
Position: Foreign Remittance Director
 
 
Dear Sir/Madam,
 
How are you doing? I hope all is alright.
Please treat this message strictly confidential and do not be surprise over this unexpected and sudden communication with me. I got your contact from a reliable international directory where I decided to choose you to assist me put into your account the total sum of Five Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ($5.500,000.00) from our bank.
 
The beneficiary of this account died (May their souls rest in perfect peace) with his family in a Kenya Plane Crash in 2003, and no body were officially intestate to stand for the claim as the next of kin.
 
Therefore, I need your attention and trust so we can make a two man deal in order to move this fund to your account and once the fund is transferred into your account, every part of this deal will be sealed. Before we can achieve this great success, you must apply to our bank as a business partner/extended relative to the deceased. Nevertheless, I will use my position in the office to ensure that my bank grant urgent approval for the release of this fund to you immediately.
 
Once the fund is released; I will resign quickly to join you over there in your country for disbursement of the fund. I will tell you what will be your share on your response to this message and we have to start the process immediately to avoid our bank to send the fund to Central Bank of the United Kingdom as an unknown beneficiary and unclaimed fund and please call me as soon as you reply me; +44 701-423-7835, so that I will check my email immediately.
 
I am waiting for your response.
 
Yours truly,
Mr. David Campbell

Anti-fraud resources: