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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:
- ",500,000" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "00,000.00" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "barrister" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
Fraud email example:
From: "Diplomatic Shipping Co." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <diplshippingco1@w.cn>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:15:41 +0100
Subject: YOUR PARCEL IS NOW IN YOUR COUNTRY
Attn:Customer
We wish to inform you that our representing agent conveying your parcel with registration code (N0:AWB33XZS) valued the sum of US$1,500,000.00 misplaced your delivery
address on transit and he is currently stranded in your country with your parcel. Re-confirm your following informations below to him so that he can proceed to his final
delivery of your parcel as soon as possible to the address which you are to re-confirm to him.
Full Name: ____________
Mailing Address:____________
Mobile N0:____________
Your nearest Airport:____________
Your present occupation:____________
A Copy of your Identification if possible:____________
Kindly forward the required information above to the agent immediately via the email contact below.
Contact person: Agent David Hopkins
E-mail: diplshippingco@w.cn
Please update us by calling our director, Dr. Gilbert Gbenou on this tel. +229 98 09 24 04 who is constantly in-touch via email with the agent in your country so that he can
let you know more about the delivery because the agent might be confusely busy awaiting for you to re-confirm your informations to proceed with the parcel delivery to you .
NOTE :The parcel was declared/moved on special arrangement from here as bibles for your church usage, so in no circumstances should you allow the agent to open the
parcel to anyone and to avoid disclosing that your parcel contains US Dollars which is risky to avoid any sudden lost of your funds to any untrustful person(s) at the airport
who might become interested to divert your fund to him or himself as soon as the person realise that your package contains this large sum of funds for you .
Yours in service.
Barrister Gary Johnson
Official Attorney to the General Board.
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