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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 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.
- 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.
- 6markjohnson@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "National Lottery Australia" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <66markjohnson@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 17:45:50 -0700
Subject: National Lottery Australia.
Good day to you and I hope this message finds you well. This is to inform you that the Online Gaming Regulators and National Lottery Australia resolved in the security vote meeting of July 2014 to pay out an outstanding entitlement of US$1,950,000 [One Million Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand US Dollars] that your email address won years past, but yet to be paid out.
The board and committee members are aware that you never received your payment and was consequently reverted into payment through ATM Card that was deposited at Aeon Finance & Security House, Memphis - Tennessee - USA with instructions that the ATM Card be delivered to your delivery address at your earliest convenience.
You should endeavour to contact the contracted company firm to ship your ATM card as contracted. In your best interest, I advise that you decline the further receipts of emails notifications to this effect. Contact the supervisor below for delivery information of your shipment.
Assigned Agent/Supervisor London office: (Mr Mark Johnson)
Email: 6markjohnson@gmail.com
Tel No: +44 776 033 8265
They are waiting to receive your delivery instruction so they can ship the ATM Card to the address you may designate.
Faithfully,
Sir Herbert Finley.
Copyright 2014 All rights reserved.
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