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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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "economic financial crime commission" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
- "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "lagos" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash. If it's a lottery prize, remember that real lotteries do not pay large prizes by check. They wire the money directly to your bank account and you do not pay for that. Many scammers promise a large check only in order to then demand payment of courier fees for a fake courier service. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- 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.
- mr.fkasim@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr. Babatunde Alao" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <cbn.mdforiegndept@ymail.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:37:50 -0800
Subject: Attention: A Note From C.B.N
Central Bank of Nigeria (C.B.N)
20 Marina, P.M.B. 12735
Lagos
Nigeria
Tel: +234-709-344-4539
Attn: Beneficiary,
Re: Payment Ready
I am just writing you to get you informed of the final meeting held here at my bank, we have now been authourised to send you, your hanging compensated cashed fund that was seized by my bank on Friday been 17th December 2009 Thursday afternoon. My boss the Governor of Central bank Nigeria plc His excellency ( Prof. Sanusi Lamido) order me as the managing director of foreign remittance department central bank of Nigeria (C.B.N) to approved your hanging compensated cashed fund that was seized from the economic financial crime commission ( E.f.c.c) and Internet Monetary wire trap agency (I.M.A) here in Nigeria where they ordered my bank to stop every arrangement towards the transfer of you compensated cashed fund to enable undergo there investigation in respect of your approved fund, I want you that they have decided and concluded now that your fund was provisionally legitimate and all action towards the transfer should take place immediately within the next 48hrs.
After my private meeting with the board of directors in the foreign departments we decided to issue you, your cash fund with the originated amount of $800.000.00 and we have decided to send it by package through (DHL Delivery Express) which is the fastest in delivery parcels. Mr. Fred Larson told me that for them to deliver this parcel to you immediately they must also verify from the bank of American (B.O.A) if it was a good cheque before it was been cashed for you because of the rate of scam in the globe, because I informed him of the content in it and he insisted on verifying if the cheque wasn't a fraudulent cheque within 4hrs and after his investigation the bank of America also find your cashed fund real and legitimate and to the glory of God also the cheque was authenticated without a hitch of error and he went more and ordered one of there agent in the DHL delivery service to act on your behalf.
Agent Name: Mr. Funsho Kasim
E-mail: mr.fkasim@hotmail.com
The agent told me that I must pay the sum of $439 for the delivery of your parcel because of its content and the amount of kilo it weighed which I have done this morning here in Nigeria my local time and he said I should also inform you that you will also pay the fee $150 that the fee is for the security keeping $80 and valued added tax (V.A.T) of $90 amount to $150 this fee is to safe guard your parcel and for you the receiver which is you to confirm that you are aware of these. more so the fee will prevent you at his arrival in the state at the JOHN F KENNEDY AIRPOT NEW YORK that without the fee $150 paid he will not proceed any action towards the delivery of your parcel so I want you to do your best and send to him the fee of $150 so that he can start the proceed of your parcel the total amount of money in the parcel is $800.000.00 that was approved by the central bank of Nigeria that belongs to late Engineer Raymond Ziegler your late cousin who was and oil expatriate i
n the Nigeria Shell and Oil compa
So he said you should send the fee via western union money transfer with his account officer to whom he will verify fee from below his the account officer information given to me by him ( Mr. Funsho Kasim).
Name: Patrick U. Mordi
Lagos Nigeria
Text Question: Pet Name
Answer: Bingo
M.T.C.N.........................................
He said you should not forget to send to his account officer the m.t.c number so that he can be able to pick fee and the proceed of your parcel can take immediate effect also he wants you to reconfirm your personal information’s and the M.T.C Number of the fee payment so that she can quickly pass it to his account officer to enable him pick payment through his personal email address: mr.fkasim@hotmail.com so that he don’t make mistake when delivery.
Full Name:
Contact Address:
Age and Sex:
Home and Cell phone Number:
Passport photograph:
Please do this urgently and notify me when all is in order so that I can mark your name off payment from the central bank pending fund beneficiaries.
Thanks I wish the best of luck.
Mr. Babatunde Alao
Central bank Nigeria (managing director foreign remittance)
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