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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: help me <owonikaholdings@gmail.com>
Reply-To: soniafofo@aol.com
Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2022 06:15:34 -0700
Subject: please help

Hello I am Miss Sonia, the only daughter of PETER FOFO who died in a
motor accident some months ago. He was a contractor to the federal
government of Cote d’Ivoire. Before he gave up in the hospital he told
my mother and I that he deposited a sum of US $ 1.5 million with a
bank in Lome-Togo and where the document is.

Since after my father's death my uncles are troubling my mother with
their useless African traditions. They have taken all of my father's
belongings/properties and left us with nothing just because my late
father did not have a male child. As a result of this problem my
mother feels an illness. Now she is seriously sick and I have spent
all the money we have on drugs and hospital bills.

We have nothing to do than to run down to Lome-Togo to claim the
(money) from the bank. We have contacted the bank management and they
said before the fund can be released we must bring my late father
foreign business partner to stand as my father next of kin for
security reasons.

Now we are looking for someone who will assist us and claim the
(money) so that when it arrives in his home/ country he will take his
own share and send it to us our own. I am writing this mail to see if
you can assist us.

Upon receipt of your acknowledgment mail I shall send you the contact
of the bank director please contact on this email : soniafofo@aol.com

Thanks
Miss Sonia PETER FOFO
Hope to hear from you soon.

Anti-fraud resources: