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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: "FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <agentmicheal.fbi@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:51:02 -0800
Subject: NOTICE! Ref# SKY-Mix

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
J.EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE,
NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR.
Christopher A. Wray

NOTICE!!!

Our Ref: (Ref Vibe # FRS/019223/UN00155127/CONTRACT E/615AX).

To. Beneficiary:

I hope this message finds you well. Our records indicate a potential discrepancy that requires your immediate attention.

We recently received communication from a Dr. Mrs. Verani Bekti, claiming to be your private doctor and next of kin. According to her, you succumbed to COVID-19, and she is your designated representative. However, we could not verify this information through official channels.

To ensure accuracy, please confirm your status immediately. Your timely response is crucial, as failure to do so within 48 hours will lead us to act based on Dr. Mrs. Verani Bekti's information.

On a positive note, we are pleased to inform you that a compensation fund of USD$4,000,000.00, recommended by the United Nations (UN) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is ready for release. This amount is intended to assist you in recovering from the impact of COVID-19 and any fraudulent financial losses.

Kindly contact Agent Michael Hillson at agentmicheal.fbi@gmail.com to facilitate the secure and certified mode of payment for your compensation.

Your prompt cooperation is appreciated.

Best regards,

Christopher A. Wray
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Anti-fraud resources: