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: "Jack Paul" <jackpaul20051@gmail.com>
Reply-To: jackpaul.ng@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 10:05:41 -0100
Subject: AWAITING FOR YOUR URGENT RESPONSE.

filename="AWAITING YOUR URGENT RESPONSE..txt"
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Anti-fraud resources: