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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: "Ms. Aminata Conteh" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <aminata.conteh20@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 2013 12:53:27 +0100
Subject: BUISNESS PARTNER NEEDED

ATTN: Dear,

Due to my careful search for an honest, reliable and sincere business partner, I got your contact from the internet and I ask if you can be trusted not to break an agreement? Still, it took me time to make up my mind to contact you and to offer you this proposal of mine of which my whole life depends on.

Dear, my name is Aminata Conteh the daughter late MR. John Conteh a business man from Sierra Leone, I am 24 years old and presently residing in DAKAR-SENEGAL in West Africa under political asylum.

My mother happens to be a nurse whom my late father had an affair with during his life style as a play boy, and the affair resulted to my birth, but it was unfortunate that the late Conteh did not marry my mother legally and as a kind of settlement, for my mother and I, my mother ANTOINETTE deposited the sum of seven million five Hundred thousand USD cash ($ 7.5 million us dollars cash) for my life inheritance. My mother stashed these sum of money and deposited it in a company and my name appears as the next of kin.

After my father was killed by his body guard earlier last two year 2011, and my mother died also earlier last year just two months after my father's death, and at the age of 24 years old, I am left with this huge sum of money, and I need a partner who will help me transfer this money oversea for immediate investment as I have made up my mind to invest in your country.

Your compensation for your immediate assistance is 20% of the total money as soon as it arrives your country while 5% will be for any local and international expences that will occure during the transfer.

I will like truth and honesty to be our watchword in this business.
Yours sincerely,
Aminata Conteh.

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