joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: "Mr.Peter Otule" <peterotule1@gmail.com>
Reply-To: peterotule0@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 17:01:43 +0000
Subject: Department of Minerals & Energy

Dear Friend

First, I must solicit your confidence in this transaction. And after
due deliberation, I decided to contact you for your assistance in
standing as benefactor to the sum of US$20, 000, 000, 00, (Twenty
Million United States Dollars) equivalent because, I am currently in
need of a silent foreign partner whose identity that can be use to
transfer the said sum. This fund accrued legitimately to me as
commission from foreign contracts with Department of Minerals & Energy
through my private connections.

The fund is presently waiting to be remitted from The Bank to any
overseas beneficiary confirmed as associate/receiver. By virtue of my
political/religious position in my country, I cannot acquire this
money with my name. For this reason I took it upon myself to look for
an overseas silent partner who could work with me to facilitate
transfer of this fund for our mutual benefit, hence the reason for
this email. What I am requesting from you is: (1) To be my silent
partner and receive the funds as the sole benefactor to the contract
amount which I shall secure all legal documentation to authenticate my
claim in Bank. (2) Provide a private telephone number for easy
communication under your control. (3)Receive the funds as the
beneficiary, take out your commission after tax and keep the rest of
the money until I arrive there to meet you after the transfer is
completed.

My proposal is that after you receive the funds, it would be shared as
follows: (1) 35% to you as commission for your co-operation and
assistance in facilitating the transfer from The Bank to any of your
nominated account, while the remaining 65% belongs to me. You will be
free to take out your commission immediately after the money hits your
country. Since my objective is to invest the money in a foreign
country, it would be appreciated if you could also help me with
advices and direction on investing into profitable/lucrative ventures
in your country for an additional 5%. However, this is optional, and
if it is not convenient for you to further assist me with investing
the money, we can end our cooperation after you make available my own
part of the money.

The transaction, although discrete, is legitimate and the money will
be transferred successfully with all necessary back-up official
documents showing legitimate source/origin of fund. The transfer will
be affected within a period not longer than two weeks as soon as we
reach an agreement and you furnish me with a suitable response
indicating your interest for processing the transfer. I plead with you
on one issue, whether you are interested or not, kindly do not expose
this information to any one else. I confirm that the transaction is
legitimate and without any risks either to me or yourself. Please,
give me your response immediately as soon as possible.



Yours Truly,

Mr. Peter Otule



Anti-fraud resources: