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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 phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "kwang.heng@outlook.com" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Kwang Han Heng Cho" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kwang.heng@outlook.com>
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2015 12:20:18 +0100
Subject: You can’t afford not to read this
Hello,
I am Mr. Kwang Han Heng Cho from OCBC Bank, Singapore,
one of the top 10 commercial banks in the world. I kindly
want to notify you of my proposal - I am presently seeking a
reliable and trust worthy partner to assist me with transfer
of the sum of $10.5 Million.
I request your approval to present you as nominated (PR)
personal representative to receive unclaimed deposits in
inoperative accounts that have been phased out for delisting
from the banking system by financial regulators. If this
suits your interest get back to me for further details.
Email: kwang.heng@outlook.com
Sincerely,
Kwang Han Heng Cho
Senior Private Client Manager
Global Transaction Banking
OCBC Bank Limited
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Anti-fraud resources:
