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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:
- "million dollars" (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.
- mohakwam01@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs Hauwa Radda" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <hauwayar01@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2010 15:14:53 -0700
Subject: Can I have confidence in you?
Your attention pls:
I am Mrs Hauwa Radda Yar'Adua, the 2nd wife of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'adua, the late President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Since after the death of my Husband myself and my Son Hassan Musa Yar'adua including the other of my kids came to this country Ghana to settle here because of the family problem am having with the first wife concerning the assets and properties belonging to our late husband.
For this reason, I seek your assistance to help me receive $10.2Million dollars that was deposited by my late husband with UBA BANK Ghana for safe keeping which the first wife do NOT know about it. If you are serious and ready for this transaction then kindly contact the manager of the bank (UBA) Mr. Mohammed Isa through his email (mohakwam01@sify.com ) for full explanation. Please treat this matter urgently and confidential. Kindly view these 2 web sites below for details understanding. Highly important I urge you to keep this transaction highly secret and confidential to avoid sabotage because my husband’s first wife wants to claim all that belonged to our late husband.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8666010.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umaru_Yar%27Adua
Yours faithfully
Mrs Hauwa Radda
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Anti-fraud resources:
