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: "Charles Schwab" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <noresponse@schwab.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:30:44 +0200
Subject: Problem in Your Account Please: Update Your Online Banking Information

Charles Schwab: Investment 

Services



Our Banks Automated IP security section has noticed unusual activity on several accounts. We are performing routine security checks to verify that your account has not been accessed by any 3rd parties. Please find a secure link below to verify your account information and for our IP verification system to perform its routine security check. Once you have verified this information you will be notified if there has been any unusual activity on your account and if there is any further action required by you. Click HERE to verify your account. Link expires in 12hrs

We are sorry for any inconvenience and look forward to serving you in the years to come.



Charles Schwab
Account
Securities


Charles Schwab: Investment Services, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender Equal Housing Lender © 2009 Charles Schwab: Investment Services Corporation. All rights reserved.

Anti-fraud resources: