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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:
- "million dollars" (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)
- ",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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Mr Charles Ampofo <charamp166@msn.com>
Reply-To: <charlesampofo1@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:02:56 +0000
Subject: Greeting To You
Greeting To You
>From Mr. Charles Ampofo
Tel: +233240089071
My name is Mr. Charles Ampofo, Head of Corporate Affairs Department with Amalgamated Bank Ghana Ltd and account officer to late Mathew L Tallman. I want to make a proposal of business transaction value sum of $35,000,000.00. (Thirty Five Million Dollars only) only in my branch if you can cooperate. This money belongs to Late Matthew L. Tallman, a young American army who also owned a pharmaceutical company here in Ghana. Unfortunately he lost his life in the helicopter crash on their mission for operation Iraqi Freedom on August 22, 2007.For your perusal; I want you to check this (www.militarycity.com/valor/2990729.html).
I now seek your Cooperation and support to have you stand in as a next of kin to the late deceased, so that we shall claim and share the money between us %60 for me and %40 for you. All documentations will be carefully and legally worked out for the release of this money.
I need to know if you will be able to handle this with me before I explain to you in details how we can proceed. Look forward to discussing this opportunity further with you in more detail shortly.
Let me know your mind on this and please do treat this information as TOP SECRET. We shall go over the details once I receive your urgent response. We shall go over the details once I receive your urgent response. Have a nice day and God bless.
Anticipating your co-operation.
Mr. Charles Ampofo
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