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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: "Graham Rowland" <matichon@matichon.co.th>
Reply-To: ryanmc20020@hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2016 19:37:14 +0700
Subject: Re:

Dear Friend
I am Ryan McCoy, a member of staff of UBS Investment Bank. I am writing you
following an Opportunity in my office that will be of an immense benefit to both of
us. In my department, being the head of distressed debt research, I discovered an
abandoned sum of £15, 400.000.00 (Fifteen Million four hundred thousand Great
British Pounds) in an account that belongs to Mr, Stephen Richard, an American
business man who lost his life in a plane crash along with his entire family.

The choice of contacting you is aroused from the geographical nature of where you
live, particularly due to the sensitivity of the transaction, and the
confidentiality herein. Now our bank has been waiting for any of the relatives to
come-up for the claim but nobody has done that. I personally have been unsuccessful
in locating the relatives since I resumed office, I seek your consent to present you
as the next of kin /Will Beneficiary to the deceased so that the proceeds of this
account valued at (Fifteen Million four hundred thousand Great British Pounds) can
be paid to you.

This will be disbursed or shared in these percentages, 60% to me and 40% to you.I
have secured all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up this claim we
are making. All I need is to fill in your names to the documents and legalize it in
the court here to prove you as the legitimate beneficiary. All I require now is your
honest Co-operation, Confidentiality and Trust to enable us see this transaction
through. I guarantee you that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement
that will protect you from any breach of the law.

Please provide me the following: as we have a few days to run it through. This is
very URGENT PLEASE.

1. Full Name
2. Your Mobile phone Number
3. Your Residential address
4. Your Age:

This information will enable me to upload your data into our bank database to
reflect in the bank network system that you are the named next of kin/will
beneficiary of this fund, and I will guide you on how to open communication with the
bank and make the claims for onward transfer of the funds to your bank account in
your country, please note that we have few days to carry out this deal, Your kind
and rapid response will be highly appreciated.

When I have received the required information I shall furnish you with due process
of concluding this transaction without any delay. Please discard this message if you
are not interested. One Passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this
matter with anybody, if you have any reasons to reject this offer, please and please
destroy this message as any Leakage of this information will be too bad for me
considering my position here in the bank.

Regards,
Ryan McCoy.

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