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: "Liudmyla Shestakova Lowe" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrslindasadamsadams@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2024 13:48:17 -0800
Subject: Can I Trust you? From Mrs. Lowe!

Dear Sir/Madam,
 
Greetings, I have a very important matter I want to discuss with you. Please let this not sound strange to you because my only surviving lawyer who would have done this died early this year.
I got your email address from your country's guestbook online. I'm Mrs. Liudmyla Shestakova Lowe from a British Citizen born in England, I am 78 years old by the grace of God deaf and a widow. I was married Mr. John Wiley Lowe, a British citizen born and brought up in the United Kingdom, My dear husband was involved in the January 2000 Kenya airways plane crash as you can see on the news line website. ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6627485.stm ).
 
My late husband was very wealthy and after his death, I inherited some part of his business and money in the bank. Today I have decided to donate and contribute to you, your Country and to the less privileged, charity homes, and orphanage homes and to those displaced by wars going on in the middle-east and around the world. Since the death of my husband I decided not to re-marry, I sold all my belongings and deposited the sum of USD37,600,000 Million Dollars with Royal Bank Of Scotland Offshore Branch United Kingdom. Following my ill health (Cancer of the Lungs), my Doctor told me that I may not live longer than required due to my health condition.
 
I am looking forward to seeing someone who can use this money in charitable works.
 
More details will be made known to you upon your response.
 
May God Bless You.
Mrs. Liudmyla Shestakova Lowe

Anti-fraud resources: