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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 fake company names, fake addresses, non-existent institutions/documents or other details have appeared in scams before:
- "ecowas lottery" (no such lottery exists)
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "mtcn" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "money transfer control number" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "abuja" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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: "WesternUnion Office" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <westernunionoffice1@mynet.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:10:46 +0100
Subject: Attention From Western Union office.
Western-Union OFFICE.
Plot B6,Kilometer 1,Abuja-Kadu
Expressway Zuba. Abuja.
Direct line: +234-809-380-7117
Dear Customer,
We have been waiting for you to inform us when you want us to send you the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) for the sum of $250,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) deposited with us for transfer to you by Ecowas Lottery Board. Your Email Address was the only information given to us by ECOWAS for us to have the deposited funds transferred to you. I was informed that you are the beneficiary
of the Lottery Proceeds.
Note: You were selected as a winner of Ecowas Lottery Jackpot and I personally advise that you use the funds wisely. However, we need your information as stated below to commence the transaction due process:
1. Receiver's Full Name:
2. Receiver's Address:
3. Receiver's Age
4. Receiver's Country:
5. Receiver's Telephone Number:
6. Receiver's Occupation:
with the requested data we can commence the facilitation of your funds transfer to you.
Rev John A.Johnson.
Transaction Director
Direct line: +234-809-380-7117
+234-706-744-4254
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Anti-fraud resources:
