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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- ",500,000" (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)
- "00,000.00" (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)
- 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.
- collensgyamfi11@naseej.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Gyamfi" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <collensgyamfi11@naseej.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:42:02 -0700
Subject: THANK YOU
Dear good friend,
The entire family of Honorable Kwadwo Baah Wiredu
wish to inform you that our father,uncle and in-law
was Finance and Economic Planning Minister
Honorable Kwadwo Baah Wiredu until his death. He
died on Sept 24 2008 and was buried on October 2008
under NPP Party [National Patriotic Party].
My country had election and the ruling party lost
in the election under President John Agyekum Kufuor
and the new President Prof. Evans John Atta Mills
won the election and was sworn in on the 7th of
January 2009 Since after his death my sister and
children has been denied access to travel out
because his party in which my in law was serving as
a minister before his untimely death lost the
election and the present government seized the
entire family traveling documents.
Before his death he deposited the sum of
USD$11,500,000.00 to a finance firm in Europe because he
is not allowed to deposit such fund in the bank to
avoid trace indeed all the documents concerning
this deposit are now with my sister the wife of the
late minister, of which we can make available once
you indicate your interest to take custody of this
funds on behalf of the family as our nominated next
of kin and his business associate before he died I
will discuss with my sister and the children to
allow you to take possession of the funds so that
the government will not trace it and confiscate the
money.
Further clarifications on this offer please copy
the link to you browser or click on it
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/photo.da.php?ID=150559
Please confirm your interest and readiness to work
with us at this address : collensgyamfi11@naseej.com
so that I will give you the contact of the firm the
fund is deposited and the depositary documents so
that you can open up communication to claim the
fund.
Revert ASAP.
My regards,
Mr Collens Gyamfi
For the Family
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