joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days
  jwSpamSpy

Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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:

Fraud email example:

From: "RITA CHASE" <ritachase043@gmail.com>
Reply-To: ritachase19774@yahoo.fr
Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 23:35:48 +0100
Subject: Dear Friend

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==

Anti-fraud resources: