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joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
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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:
- This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a orphan scam.
Fraud email example:
From: MORIEN MACOASE <morien.macoase@btinternet.com>
Reply-To: morien_m@live.fr
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:28:52 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: DEAR RESPECTFULL ONE.
DEAR RESPECTFULL ONE.
Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. Though we have not met before, but I have no other alternative than to send you this mail this way because of the urgency needed, I contacted you after going through your profile and find you capable of handling this urgent international business transaction. I am Miss morien macoase the only daughter of late Mr and Mrs joselph macoase from the republic of Sierra Leone . My father was a very wealthy cocoa and gold merchant based in Abidjan , the economic capital of Cote d'Ivoire before he was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outing on a business trip.
My father took me so special because I am motherless. Before the death of my father in a private hospital here. He secretly called me on his bedside and told me that he has a sum of $9.500.000 ( NINE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND USA DOLLARS) which he deposited in bank here in Cote d'Ivoire, that he used my name as her only daughter for the next of kin in deposit of the fund.
He then advised me to seek for a Good foreign partner in a country of my choice who will assist me retrieve this fund from the bank for investment purpose overseas. Then I would want you to signify your interest in assisting me by providing me your personal contacts as follows.
Your full legal names;
Your direct contact number;
Your present occupation and official age;
your marital status;
Once I receive this information, I will detail You more about this deposit and we start from there.
NOTE that i will opher you 25% of the total money once you can be able to help me and get it transfer to your bank acount.
Yours Faithfully
Miss morien macoase.
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