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: Mary Prescott
Reply-To: <faithingod4life01@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2021 02:48:00 -0700
Subject: Re I warmly greet you


Dear , I warmly greet you. Please forgive me if my plea sounds a little str=
ange or unbelievable to you. My family attorney who could have handled the =
process of executing my WILL & TESTAMENT on my behalf died early this year =
after a protracted illness. I therefore prayed fervently and by the special=
grace of GOD, I got your email ID from your country's guest book. I am Mrs=
. Mary Prescott, a native of United Kingdom, I am 58 years old. I am suffer=
ing from protracted cancer of the lungs which has also affected part of my =
brain cells due to complications. From all indication, my condition has det=
eriorated and it is quite obvious according to my doctors that i may not li=
ve for the next couple of months, because my condition has gotten to a crit=
ical and life threatening stage. I was orphaned at the age of four and was =
raised in an orphanage. I was married to my late husband Engineer. Steve Pr=
escott for twenty years without a child. STEVE had cardiovascular condition=
and died of cardiac arrest few years ago. I am a fervent Believer and a Go=
d fearing woman just like my late husband. Steve and I lived in Africa for =
over 18 years, where my husband a petrochemical engineer by profession work=
ed and rose through the ranks to become an executive director with a multin=
ational construction and oil servicing conglomerate, before his demise. He =
also established huge private investments that I assisted in managing. Sequ=
el to the unfortunate and shocking demise of my priceless husband, I decide=
d as a rule not to re-marry. when my cancer ailment became terminal & more =
so because I do not have a next of kin to bequeath all that STEVE & I labor=
ed for, I sold off all our choice properties and other inherited belongings=
comprising of a shopping mall, a hotel, shares, bonds, jewelries and other=
valuable family treasures and deposited the proceeds amounting to USD$21,7=
00,000.00 (TWENTY ONE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ONLY) with a B=
ank. As I write, this fund is still deposited with the bank. The management=
of the bank just wrote me as the sole owner because of the unserviceable s=
tatus of the fund and suggested to me in a 2 paragraph statement to issue a=
letter of authorization to someone who can manage the fund on my behalf be=
cause of my ill health and also threatened that the fund could be confiscat=
ed upon my failure to adhere to their Banking rules and regulations within =
a stipulated time frame. I am presently at the intensive care unit of a Lon=
don hospital, located at Fulham road in West London. It is the leading canc=
er treatment hospital in the world and I have been undergoing treatment the=
re for late-stage terminal cancer of the lungs. I am computer literate and =
was fortunate enough to have my personal laptop with me, hence I am writing=
from my sick bed. I rarely talk; my doctors told me that I have only few m=
onths to live, unless there is a divine intervention. It is my last WISH th=
erefore to see that 90% of this fund is invested in any charitable organiza=
tion of your choice and administered as you may deem fit, especially to the=
orphanage homes and homes for destitute and the mentally retarded. You can=
also extend some part of the funds to churches and mosques and to those st=
ruck by natural disaster, if you wish. 10% of the fund could also be expend=
ed on cost of administration of LAST WILL & TESTAMENT and also on logistic =
support and other sundry arrangements that you may requires to in administe=
ring the fund. I crave your indulgence as a God fearing individual and as s=
omeone who cares for the less-privileged as much as I do, to take it upon y=
ourself and use this fund for the above mentioned purposes, I took this pai=
nstaking decision in other to help humanity in my little capacity before I =
rest in peace in the bosom of GOD almighty. According to my physicians my t=
ime will soon be up. As soon as I receive your reply and personal informati=
on as listed below, I shall give you the official contact of the bank offic=
ials, to enable you contact the Bank without delays. I will also issue you =
with a letter of authorization, so that my bankers will recognize your stat=
us as the new beneficiary of the fund. The letter of authorization will fur=
ther prove that you are the new beneficiary of my ESTATE, WILL & TESTAMENT.=
The funds have an open beneficiary mandate and as such, it is whom I autho=
rize or appoint to act on my behalf that the Bank will recognize and releas=
e the funds to. Please assure me that you will not treat this offer with le=
vity but will rather give my bequest continued existence. Send the informat=
ion in this order: (1) Your full names:................................ (2)=
Personal or official contact address:................................ (3) =
Home or Office phone#:..............................Cellphone#:............=
....................Fax:............................ (5) Occupation:.......=
......................... (6) Sex/Marital status:..........................=
...... (7) Private E-mail Address:................................ I am awa=
iting your kind response while craving your appreciation of my present pred=
icament. Your friend in Christ, Mrs. Mary Prescott (London United Kingdom) =
E-mail: mrs.maryprescott@gmail.com

Anti-fraud resources: