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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:
- "ecowas " (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "liberia" (a location commonly mentioned 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: maryfreeman4help <maryfreeman4help@globalfastmail.com>
Reply-To: maryfreeman4m@live.com
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 18:10:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Hello My Dear .
Hello My Dear .
I am Mary Freeman. from Liberia, my late father Mr Morris Freeman was killed during the on going war in Liberia.
On one cold evening when we were relaxing in our house in Hebel town in Liberia, the rabels entered my father house and went straight to his room shot him on his leg as he was trying to escape through the fence of the house. Befor they turn to me and my sister and forced us to rape after they began to trace my father.
My father was rushed to the government hospital for treatment, it was there he now disclose to me that because he was the head of the Finance Department of FierStone Rubber Plantation at this hour he decide to tell me where he deposited some money in ecowas dilpomatic security company.
Is Only me and his lawyer know where this money was kept, please your urgent responses is highly needed.
All i need is for you to help me to transfer this money and to come over there to meet you for business planning if you still insisted. please contact me direct to my box
Mary Freeman
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Anti-fraud resources:
