|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
- me.miss.ajilinda2011@hotmail.com (Hotmail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: Miss Linda <jedburley@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: miss.ajilinda2011@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 20:53:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Hello Can i trust you on this,
Hello Can i trust you on this,
I am miss Linda Aji from Ivory Coast and I a contacting you because
I need your help in management of some amount that my father left for me before he died.
My father was a very rich cocoa farmer but was poisoned by his business
colleagues and they are now after me so i hard to escape my way into a
church here in Republic of Benin.
Please I want you to stand as my guardian and appointed beneficiary to
enable you receive the money in your country and as well assist me secure
papers that will enable me come over to your country immediately for
continuation of my education and investing of the money according to your
advise since am only 21 years without mother or father. Please indicate if
your interested in taking me along because my present condition here is
critically frustrating. Please kindly contact me with this email only if you are
willing to be of help to me.miss.ajilinda2011@hotmail.com
Am waiting.
Linda
____________________________________________________________________________________
It's here! Your new message!
Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/
|
Anti-fraud resources: