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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: "Scott Smith" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <scottsmitv@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2018 04:32:10 -0700
Subject: Attn: 13/6/2018

 
Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001, USA
 
Attn:
 
We sincerely apologize for sending you this sensitive information via e-mail instead of a certified mail, phone call or a  face-to-face conversation, it is due to the urgency and importance of the security information involve. In the quest to cushion the effect of the global financial crisis, American government through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)Washington, DC and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (icc)has signed an agreement with Nigeria government for an immediate release of all overdue funds presently logged in their treasury and ensure it is disbursed to the rightful beneficiaries in any part of the world. If you the beneficiary would adhere to this notification it will help stabilize the various economies of the world and reduce the effect of this depressing recession.
 
Prior to this agreement $1.5 Billion U.S.D(ONE BILLION FIVE HUNDRED MILLION UNITED SATES OF AMERICA DOLLARS) Intervention/Bail Out fund was set aside for this purpose, and our team of security experts has swung into action for transparency and accountability of this periodic project. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (Global Intelligence, Cyber Division) saddled with the responsibility of monitoring activities going on over the internet have discovered your name is in the list of unpaid and it might interest you to know that we have conducted a comprehensive investigation on this discovery as stipulated on our protocol of operation and have confirmed that the inheritance fund was endorsed in your favor and it is 100% genuine and hitch free from all facets. You have the lawful right to contact the appropriate authority to claim your payment without further delay.
 
Further findings revealed that some corrupt ex- government officials are conniving with some officials of  Nigeria Federal Ministry of Finance to change your account and transfer your inheritance funds to a strange account in Canada through a man by the name Mr. Andrew Svenkeson who purported to be your cousin, he presented some necessary documentations evidencing your claim purported to have been signed by you for the release of your Accrued Interest fund valued USD$3,500,000.00 (Three million Five Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars).
 
As a matter of urgency, you are requested to contact the office of the account general of the federation of Nigeria to confirm that.The mode of the payment is through their cash payment center in United States Of America.
 
Below is the officially established email address of the secretary of the president of Nigeria
 
Name: Mr.Ahmed Idris
Email: deptreconcilliationdept@accountant.com
 
We advise that you go ahead in dealing with the government of Nigeria with the contact above and be assured that we are monitoring all their activities as well as your correspondence at all level. If you are presently dealing with any financial institution(s) or person(s) claiming to have relevance to the payment of your overdue funds out-side the above financial institution you are warned in your own interest to stop further communication.
 
Yours
Faithfully,
 
Scott Smith,
Assistant Director, FBI Cyber
Divisio

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