joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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: Patrick Parillon <haryg1962@gmail.com>
Reply-To: parillonpatrick@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2021 11:00:50 +0100
Subject: URGENT REPLY

Dear Friend,

I am sorry to contact you unannounced through this medium, I am
Patrick Parillon write you this proposal in good faith hoping that I
will rely on you. In January 16th 2012, one Mr. Frank Williams who has
your country in his file as his place of origin, made a fixed deposit
for 36 calendar months, valued at $18,400,000.00 with my bank. I was
his account officer before I rose to the position of the Auditor
General. The maturity date for this deposit contract was 16th of
January 2015.

Sadly, while on a business trip in 2014, Mr. Frank Williams was among
the death victims of A 6.5-magnitude earthquake that hit Zhaotong in
China’s Western Yunnan province on August 3, The third of four quakes
to rock that province at that year, it killed more than 600 people and
displaced about 230,000. Nearly 155,000 homes and 268 schools, plus
roads and other infrastructure, were damaged/destroyed.

Since the last quarter of January 2015 until today, the management of
my bank have been finding a means to reach him so as to ascertain if
he will want to roll over the Deposit or have the contract sum
withdrawn. Since 16 January 2017 that I learnt of his death I have
tried to think up a procedure to preserve this fund and use the
proceed for charity.

Some directors in my Bank have been trying to find out from me the
information about this account and the owner, but I have kept it
closed because I know that if they become aware that Mr. Frank
Williams now late they will corner the funds for themselves/their
selfish use. Therefore, I am seeking your cooperation to present you
as the one to benefit from his fund at his death since you are from
the-same country with the Late Frank Williams so that my bank head
quarters will release the funds to you as therightful beneficiary/next
of Kin. I have done enough inside bank arrangement and will only have
to put in your details into the information network in the bank
computers and reflect your data as his next of kin.

I am not a greedy person, so I am suggesting we share the fund, equal
50%/50% to both parties after the bank release the fund to you, My
share will assist me to start a charity organization to help the poor
and also own a company of my own which has been my dream.

Let me know your mind on this proposal and please do treat this
information as top secret for security reason. At the receipt of your
reply of interest, I shall then give you every details concerning the
transaction. Anticipating your response. My personal email
(parillonpatrick@gmail.com)

Yours Specially
Patrick Parillon

Anti-fraud resources: