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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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.
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- wruiters@aim.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Adrien MD" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <wruiters@aim.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 10:30:18 +0100
Subject: Bequest
I am contacting you in respect of our late client and the investments he made in our bank. I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail as strictly confidential because I am contacting you independently and no official in this bank is informed of this communication.
On the 20th of July 2001, our late client who was a one time Crude oil and Gold Merchant made a time deposit under the portfolio management of our bank for 4 Years and the deposit matured on 20th of July 2005 with over 98% growth.
Our client passed away in December 2005 at the age of 81 at the time he was finalizing the divorce procedures of his 4 decade's long marriage which was a very difficult period for him that eventually lead to his death through Cardiac Arrest. Our client did not state his next of kin or beneficiary to his estate in his bio-data form and all our efforts to locate his immediate family have been unsuccessful.
The main reason of contacting you is for you to stand in as a successor to the estate of our late client. I am guaranteeing you that this would be done under a legitimate arrangement that will protect all parties involved from any breach of the law if I can have your absolute trust and confidentiality. I am suggesting a sharing formula of 50/50.
Note that I am a family man with a wife and children and any betrayal of trust on your part could be disastrous to my life and my entire family.
If you find yourself able to work with me on this, get back with me for further details on how to proceed with: Your Full Names and Address, Your Place and Date of Birth, Your Private telephone details and occupation to: wruiters@aim.com If you are not interested in my proposal, kindly destroy this mail for security reasons and I will not contact you again.
Awaiting your swift response.
Adrien M D
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Anti-fraud resources:
