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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: Mrs. Vivian Salem <ms.vivslem@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ms.svi.viansl.m@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2016 09:13:41 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Dearest Beloved One

Dearest beloved one

I have not considered this medium to be the best manner to have approached you of this issue being that the internet has been greatly abused over the recent years. I have decided to take this means seeing no other means could have been faster to reach you than the e-mail . My name is Mrs.Vivian Salem, wife of late Salem Nasim, an Iraq,Two year ago, I lost my husband Nasim and my three children -Husam, 15 years old ,Wasim, 12 years old and Merna, 6years old, this appened when American tank shelled our car as the family attempted to flee heavy fighting in Baghdad.

View the Website below for detailed story of how i lost my family.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/04/vivians_story/html/1.stm

Before my husband and children were killed, he deposited the sum of us$6.500,000.00 (six million,five hundred thousand united state dollar) in a bank because my husband work with Oil company in nigeria before his death. This is the only money remaining in the account right now. My Doctor told me that I would not last for the next two months due to cancer illness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this funds to a church or better still a God fearing individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want an individual that will use this fund for orphanages and humanity work. I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don't want my husband´s hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers. I don´t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner.

As soon as I receive your reply I will give you the contact of the bank where my late husband fund is been deposited, I will also issue you a letter of authority that will empower you as my next of kin to my late husband fund. Please promise me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. this most be kept confidential from eyes and ears of my husband's family. Hoping to hear from you.

Regards,
Mrs.Vivian Salem

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