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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:
- 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)
- "hundred thousand united state 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)
- "is highly confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "maxwell53@cantv.net" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "maxwell" <max1@megamail.pt>
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 21:23:00 -0000 (WET)
Subject: From Maxwell Nnanna
>From Maxwell Nnanna
Address/Rue 159 BP Riviri 01
ABIDJAN.
Dear/Sir
It is indeed my pleasure to write to you this letter, which I believe will be
a suprise, as we are both complete strangers.
I am Maxwell Nnanna 21yrs old from Republic of Liberia.
I am contacting you to seek for your hunble assistance , based on the money
left in the bank by my late father whom death accured on the 27th May 2007.
Before he died , he secretly called me on his sick bed and told me of this
money USD$18.5 Million dollars ( Eighteen million , Five Hundred Thousand
United state dollars) which he left in the bank here in ABIDJAN- Cote
D'Ivoire.
It might interest you to know that this transaction is highly confidential for
both of us, all the transfer formalities has been arranged.
We have decided to give you 10% of the total sum if you are able to assist us
on the areas of investment. As we have practical reasons for not investing in
Abidjan.
This money has secretly been deposited in a FIXED DEPOSIT BANK ACCOUNT where
it can easily be transfer to a recommended bank account.
For more details contact us at maxwell53@cantv.net
We look forward to hear from you.
Yours in faith.
Maxwell J. Nnanna
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