|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "QUEEN ELIZABETH FOUNDATION" <info@donation.com>
Reply-To: queenelizabeth_donation@admin.in.th
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:26:19 +0800
Subject: ATTENTION........
FROM THE DESK OF QUEEN ELIZABETH
FOUNDATION MANAGER,
QUEEN ELIZABETH INTERNATIONAL POVERTY
ALLEVIATION GRANT DEPARTMENT UK.
13A Uxbridge Road, Ealing,
London W21 4BS.
From: Queen Elizabeths Foundation
We are please to inform you of the announcement today of the QUEEN ELIZABETH
International Poverty Alleviation Grant Scheme held in January 2010.This
Grant is made
possible by Queen Elizabeth of England and also the immense support of MR
BILL GATES
the CHAIRMAN and CEO OF MICROSOFT WORLDWIDE.
Your EMAIL ACCOUNT has been picked as a winner and therefore you have been
approved
FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS (£500,000) in Phase Six.To claim your Grant you
must first
contact the claims department by Email.
FILL OUT THIS GRANT VERIFICATION FORM.
Name in full: Email Address:
Address: Sex:
Nationality: Age:
Present Country: Occupation:
city/State: Position:Next of kin:
Home Phone: Amount of Grant:
Mobile Phone:
MODE OF CLAIM: DIRECT BANK TRANSFER OR
COURIER DELIVERY(SELECT ONE OPTION)
(CONTACT GRANT MANAGER)
Name: Dr Gibson Benson
E-mail : queenelizabeth_donation@admin.in.th
Sincerely,
Mrs. Suzanne Moore.
Departmental Coordinator
Queen Elizabeth Foundation
|
Anti-fraud resources:
