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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:
- "to your nominated bank account" (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)
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
Fraud email example:
From: "Dr. Kingsley Moghalu " <kingsleymoghalu63@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:42:14 +0100
Subject: Re: Account Opening and Activation with UBN
Could you prefer opening an account with Union Bank of Nigeria Plc?
Moreover Central Bank of Nigeria have approved this first quarter of fiscal
year 2010 to open an account in your favour and deposit US$10 Million with
Union Bank of Nigeria Plc (UBN) from the Treasury of Federation of Nigeria.
You can withdraw or transfer any time through an Access Pin Code to your
nominated bank account or Visa Card without hitches.
Please contact us for further details and directives as soon as possible.
Regards,
Dr. Kingsley Moghalu
Deputy Governor,
Financial Sector Stability
Central Bank of Nigeria
Tel: 234-807-096-5792
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Anti-fraud resources:
