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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "million dollars" (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)
- This email message is a orphan scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mariam Azed" <mazedd1@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 19:43:13 +0800 (CST)
Subject: FROM: MISS MARIAM
>From Mariam Azed,
I know that this letter will come as a surprise to you since we have never met, however i went through your profile on facebook and decided to contact you. My name is Mariam Azed Shehata , I am 27 years of age and the only surviving daughter of Dr. Mohamed Azed Shehata from Somalia. My late parents were killed by unknown assassins on their way to Mogadishu.
I am contacting you in respect of the sum of 7.5 million dollars(Seven million five hundred thousand dollars) deposited by my late father in an escrow suspense account with United Bank for Africa in Accra - Ghana West Africa. He deposited this money during one of his regular business trips there where he concluded a business transaction with the Ghana government and was making arrangement with the bank to transfer the fund to his foreign partner before he was assassinated.
We suspect that his partner masterminded the assassination to claim the fund when it arrives his account but luck was against him as my father had not concluded arrangement with the bank to transfer the fund to him. I also got my late father's attorney's contact who lives here in Ghana. I want you to help me get the fund released and secured by you. I am willing also to let you have 30% of the money. Right now i am still studying at a private school and would like
to use my own share of the funds for investments and to also further my education.
I will give you the contacts and full details as soon as i receive your reply.
Mariam Azed
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Anti-fraud resources:
