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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.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "Mrs Deborah Littlefield" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dlittlefield17@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2017 01:05:12 -0800
Subject: Please Reply.....

I am Deborah Littlefield an account operator CapitalOne bank I came across your name and your email on the course of my personal searching for my late client relations/who shares your same name so I decided to contact you for this project.if i get your attention
 
There is a clients who unfortunately died of cancer.
Since the death of my clients I as am his account operator have made several enquiries to locate his relations to come up for the inheritance claim, without any success.
I am contacting you to assist in securing the wealth left behind in a fixed deposit account before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank where my late client operates an account.
The board of Directors of the bank has issued and spread a notice that after 2 months from now and no relation shown up for the claiming of the said funds, the funds will be confiscated and declared unserviceable.
Since The board of Directors of the bank have been unsuccessful in locating my client relatives for sometime now, it's on this note that I seek your consent to present you as the relation/next of kin to my late client that
The proceed of this deposit can be released into your account. The amount deposited ( 5M USD) also i believed with interest (USD 6.5m)I will agree with you on 40% for you while 60% for me.
 
I guarantee that this transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement which will protect you from any breach of the law. Upon your response, furnish me with:
 
Your full name/Picture
Address
Your telephone
Your occupation and age
 
As soon as I receive all these information from you I will present it to the bank Directors that I have locate the relation to my late client since they asked that I should provide the next of kin for them to release the inheritance fund. Let me hear from you once you acknowledge my email. My alternative email address: dlittlefield17@yahoo.com
 
Yours Sincerely
Mrs Deborah Littlefield.

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