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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: "Mrs.Jane Kumah" <janekumah2001@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2013 02:53:38 -1100
Subject:

Dear Friend,

I am very sorry for the informal manner in which this letter is reaching
you, as this was necessitated by my urgent need to reach you. I therefore
mail on a positive note anticipating your kind consideration, and plead for
your time and understanding in this. First, my name is Mrs. Janet Kumah. I
am the wife of late Mr. Kwesi Micheal Kumah, who was a very successful
business tycoon based here in Ghana.

He was the Chairman Executive Officer of LA-PALM ROYAL BEACH HOTEL, C.E.O.
KUMAT HOLDINGS and a host of other companies died last month at the age of
48 years after a brief-illness at the Kolebu Teaching Hospital here in
Ghana. In our world today, such a manner of approach may not be acceptable
or very suspicious, as we do not know each other well and have not had any
sort of communication in the past, but I urge you to take my message very
serious, considering the situation. Could you believe that the tradition
and customs of the town and village where my late husband came from demands
that any woman who does not have a male child for the husband, that
whenever the husband dies, all the properties belonging to the late husband
including cash will be shared among the late husband relatives and the
woman will be sent out of the husband's house for good? My dear, this is
exactly what I am going through right now since last month my husband died.
His brothers had taken all the properties belonging to my late husband
including Companies, Bank accounts and as well sent me and my little
daughters out of his house just because I did not have a male child for him.

This is a wicked tradition and culture that has no moral value. As am
talking to you now, I and my two daughters are going through hell at the
moment. But as God may have it, I'm having in my possesion all the vital
documents in relation to the deposited fund of the sum of $4.2 Million U.S
Dollars - (FOUR MILLION, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS ONLY), he
deposited in a bank in an ESCROW CALL ACCOUNT, here before his death.

Last week I contacted the manager of the bank and he told me that the fund
is much intact, that I can as well come for it any time I feel like. Please
remember that I cannot make use of this fund here due to forces surrounding
me at the moment, since I am regarded as a threat to my husband's brothers
and they'd threatened to kill me.
Please, have mercy at the poor widow like me and help out of this mess. All
I want you to do for me is to assist me move this fund from its location
now to a foreign land immediately before my late husbands relatives have
knowledge of it and claim it just like they did to others. I strongly
believe that the only way I can secure this fund is to act fast now and
move it overseas, and remember it is only you and I knows about this and
should be treated as such. I need your assistance in the following ways:-

(1) To help me stand as the next beneficiary of the fund and my late
husband's foreign business partner.
(2) To make arrangement for me and my two daughters to come over to your
country to further their education.
Please note that you stand the chance to benefit from this transaction at
the end, which percentage is negotiable. Remember also that my children are
the source of my happiness and cannot stand and watch them go through such
pains. You will be greatly rewarded and be entitled to a percentage of the
proceeds from any investments I may venture into. I look forward to hearing
from you soonest, so that we can commence on this, for with God all things
are possible.

You can equally reach me through my email:mrsjanekumah1998@gmail.com. Tel:-
00233-549727177.
Best Regards,

MRS. JANET KUMAH.

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