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: "Al-ghunaim" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <alghunaimmaha14@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2024 06:18:22 -0700
Subject: Business proposal in accordance with inheritance

Business proposal in accordance with inheritance

Sir/Madam,

I hope this email finds you well. My name is Maha Alghunaim, and I am reaching out to you regarding a business proposal that is in accordance with an inheritance opportunity.I understand that this email may come as a surprise to you, as we have not had any previous interactions or business dealings. However, I assure you that I am contacting you with genuine intentions and good faith.
As an account manager, I recently came across a unique situation involving a deceased customer of our bank. Unfortunately, this client passed away in 2002 without leaving a will, and his account in our bank has remained with an open beneficiary status.
Despite our bank’s efforts to locate the deceased’s relatives, we have been unsuccessful in finding any. As a result, I have taken it upon myself to seek a trustworthy partner who can stand as the next of kin to this deceased customer.
I have been monitoring this account for almost 10 years now, and no one has come forward to claim it. Therefore, I would like to present you as the next of kin to this dormant account, which holds a substantial amount of Eighteen Million Seven Hundred Thousand USD ($18,700,000).
To proceed with this opportunity, you would need to apply to the bank as an extended relative of the deceased customer. Meanwhile, I will work from the inside to ensure that all necessary information and evidence are provided to support your claim, considering that you both share the same last name.

During our latest managerial meeting, it was decided that all dormant accounts would have an open beneficiary mandate. This is to encourage possible relatives to come forward with their claims. If no claim is made, these accounts will be reverted back to the United States Government as unclaimed estates after a 10-year dormancy period, as approved by the Government.
Given this situation, I felt compelled to reach out to you as it is evident that no member of the family is aware of this account. Otherwise, these funds would not have remained dormant until now. I am certain that you would not want the Government to claim these funds either.
Once this transaction is completed and the funds are confirmed in your account, we can disburse the funds equally, with a 50% share for each party involved. As an insider in the bank, I will guide you through all the necessary procedures, and I assure you of success as long as you strictly follow my instructions.

If you are interested and ready to proceed with this transaction, please reply to my private email address below, and I will provide you with more details:
Email: alghunaimmaha14@hotmail.com
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely
Maha Alghunaim

Anti-fraud resources: