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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.
- 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.
- romanusehi@megamail.pt (Megamail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: "Vickie Charles Cameroon" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <vickiec_c@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2002 13:38:48 +0100
Subject: How are you?
How are you?
This is Vickie Charles Cameroon the lady that sought for your assistance into a business to help me retrieve $50 million my inheritance money in your country.
Please forgive me for delayed so long to reply to your messages which I do not know whether you did reply with details of cost of the transaction and information for investment. I traveled to Africa to close one business and by the time I could check mail again after I returned from travel I had lost in dormant all messages in my mailbox. This is what happened and now I am using this opportunity to contact you again. I enclosed in this letter a bank Draft of the total sum of $2 million for you as in response to my previous letter to you when I sought for your assistance as a stranger when I was handicap in the situation after the death of my parents.
Mr.Romanus Ehi will send the $2 million bank Draft to you by filling out this form and send to him direct to his email address: romanusehi@megamail.pt , romanusehi@goldmail24.de , Tel: (00229) 96379189. Your Full Name:----- Postal Address:----- Tel:----- Fax:----- Mobile:----- Country:----- : I owe nothing to anyone unless if I fail to pay my heart made vows to God. Due to circumstances in the death of my parents as an orphan and a stranger I threw my confident into you when I wrote you for the first time. Though it has been long I want to show my kindness and if you are still willing to negotiate this business let me. As things have changed it will please me for you to look for an expert broker in the field of this investment to provide us with details of the requirements, when I come I will do the financial part of it and secure the $50 million. I will contact you as soon as I finish with investment projects that I have in Israel with the businessman who helped me. I want to remind you to urgently conta
Please send to me the details of your discussion from any expert broker together with information after you receive the bank Draft.
I am looking forward to hear from you.
Best regards,
Miss Vickie Charles Cameroon
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