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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:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "loan amount" (Beware of fake loan offers. Real lenders would not normally use free webmail addresses such as Yahoo, nor would they lend to individuals or small businesses in a different country from where they are based. Beware of mobile phones or redirector numbers!)
- 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.
- planent.1985@gmail.com (Gmail/GoogleMail; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: "Dr.Wilfred Alli" <planent_1985@live.com>
Reply-To: planent.1985@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:30:47 -0300
Subject:
Dear Sir/Madam
My Greetings to you in the name of the lord,
I am Dr.Wilfred Alli of Loan Company.We are government approved and
certified
lenders.Our company do offer loans ranging from personal to industrial
loans to
interested persons or companies who are seeking for financial aid at a
negotiable interest rates as low as 3%. Opportunity to clear your
dept,start or
boost your business with a loan from our company.so apply for a loan now.
Interested persons should contact us via this email addresses;
planent.1985@gmail.com ...........Please for more information.
BORROWER'S DATA'S
1)Full Name:....................................
2)Country:......................................
3)Address:......................................
4)State:........................................
5)Sex:..........................................
6)Marital Status:...............................
7)Occupation:...................................
8)Phone Number:.................................
9)Currently position in place of work:..........
10)Monthly income:..............................
11)Loan Amount Needed:..........................
12)Loan Duration:...............................
13)Purpose of Loan:.............................
14)Religion:....................................
Note: We only welcome serious minded people. If you are not for real do not
reply us because we are legitimate and ready to fund out loans for real and
serious people. Get back to us with the following if you are interested:Thanks
and GOD Bless,
Dr.Wilfred Alli
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