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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: "CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrerickhickson1@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2015 01:21:23 -0700
Subject: YOUR FUND HAS BEEN APPROVED TO BE RELEASED

This is to notify you that your fund has been approved to be released to you via the Central BANK Of Nigeria TRANSFER.
 
Kindly reconfirm this application put in by Mrs. Claire Hall, she submitted the under listed bank account information supposedly sent by you to receive your CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA online access created to transfer and receive the funds on your behalf.
 
The bank information she applied with are stated thus:
 
Bank Name:  Bank Of America
Account Name: Claire Hall
Account Number: 116502809339
Routing Number: 2779210
 
 
We wish to verify from you if this woman was authorized by you to receive your online access and transfer your funds on your behalf, to ensure that the paying bank will not be held responsible for paying into the wrong hands/account.
 
 
The committee on overdue transfer funds has approved CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA through the international remittance/foreign operations to transfer all overdue funds this quarter of the year.
 
However, if we do not receive any formal reconfirmation from you, it automatically means that she was actually sent by you to receive the said funds valued $3.8Millon.
 
Hence, you are hereby requested to reply this mail immediately for confirmation before we proceed with this payment and for us to know the true position of things with you so that we won't make any misstates/errors in remitting your outstanding funds to wrong person/account.
 
Lastly, you are advice to reconfirm the details of this message and get back immediately with these information's below so as to enable us cross check  with the one we have to ensure no mistake in process of transfer.
 
Full Name:
Address:
Age:
Occupation:
Country:
 
Note: This information's must be provided for reconfirmation to enable us make payment to you, hence, your funds will be remit/wire into her account.
 
Best regards,
ERICK HICKSON.
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA

Anti-fraud resources: