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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: "V.K" <informationatpaul001@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ademola277@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2016 11:42:54 +0000
Subject: WITH MY COMPLIMENTS...


Dear Sir,

I have reached out to you essentially because of a transaction that
requires a second party for its ultimate success. And it is with trust
that I am writing to introduce myself to you, and share an experience with
you which I believe should be mutually rewarding. My name is Mr. Joseph
Ademola, a branch manager of a bank here in Lagos, and incidentally an
account officer to Mr. Henry Wilson (who is now late). Until his death in
2009 in an industrial accident, Wilson was a senior petroleum engineer with
the Shell oil company of Nigeria. The Shell oil company is indebted to
Henry Wilson to the tune of US$25,000,000 from a running contract before
his death. That is the reason for this vital contact with you. Now, based
mainly on my several petitions to the government and Shell oil Nigeria for
release and payment of this money to Wilson’s family/relative, the Shell
oil company has agreed to pay this amount to the family of Henry Wilson.

However, over these past years I have made several fruitless efforts at
locating any family members or next-of-kins of Mr. Wilson, hence this
contact to you. I have to state though that he remained single until his
death at 52. I am writing to you because as his personal account officer,
our the paying bank, which is our bank, has officially informed me, as
instructed by the Shell oil company to forward the details of his
next-of-kin within a specified time so that he/she could be paid the
outstanding $25 Million, otherwise his payment shall be reverted to the
government treasury as unclaimed bill. This is the reason why I am I
writing to you. I want to present you to the bank as the only next-of-kin
to Henry Wilson and demand that the fund be released and paid to you by
right of inheritance.

I require your honest reply which will enable me provide you with more
information and terms of the deal.

Best Regards,
Joseph Ademola


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WEB FILE 2

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