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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.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- ",000,000" (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 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.
- anna.sigurlaugpp@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Panama" <choptop@2z.net>
Reply-To: anna.sigurlaugpp@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2016 00:36:47 +0200
Subject: $250,000,000 MILLION INVESTMENT FUNDS AVAILABLE IN PANAMA
Dear Sir/Ma
I am Anna Sigurlaug Pálsdóttir from Iceland. I am presently under intense pressure to help protect my husband’s face and family investments and assets. My husband was amongst the people named in the Offshore Investors who solely deposited huge Investment funds in Mossack Fonseca & Co in Panama.
Please we are seeking for an investor who would secretly Co-operate with us to move part of our family funds worth USD$250,000,000 from a Security Depository Company in Panama and invest it in your country or anywhere else in the world for a longer period. The security company have agreed to transfer the money for us to any of our investors provided account instead of moving the boxes of the money in cash to your country for security reason since they have decided to help us.
Please kindly confirm your willingness and readiness to co-operate to accept and receive the funds for Investment purpose in your country ASAP.
My husband and I agreed to offer you 40% of the total Cash Deposited with the Security Depository Outfit Company in Panama.
Email me:anna.sigurlaugpp@gmail.com
Thanks and Best regards
Anna Sigurlaug Pálsdóttir
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Anti-fraud resources:
