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: "Miss Joyce Willam Madu" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <msjoycemadu@qq.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 23:53:37 +0100
Subject: Greetings From: Miss Joyce Willam Madu

Greetings,
 
 
Here is the message that I send to you. I am Joyce Willam Madu an African/American, I am writing you from Nigeria where my mother comes from  my father was an oil merchant that export crude oil from African oil producing countries to the United States  where he refine  them for sale.
 
After the brutal murder of my parents during the war crisis by Niger delta  Militant  in Niger Delta states of Nigeria. I need your assistance to secure my inheritance and adopt me like your daughter  by going to get me out from Nigeria where I am staying now  with my mother brother  who has been treating me bad because there native culture since I am a white girl please help.
 
It is because of the war crisis my father sold his company and deposit Five Million United States Dollars in a Bank which I am the only one who know about the fund after the death off my brother in a car accident in Nigeria early this year  I need to run for my life before I die in Nigeria.
 
Please I am seeking for your urgent assistance to transfer this money to your country for good investment project so that I can relocate to your country to further my education study for my good future.
 
Anticipating your prompt response and I will give detail with my information and picture via Facebook.
 
 
Best regards,
Miss Joyce Willam Madu
msjoycemadu@qq.com

Anti-fraud resources: