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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:
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "mtcn" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "high court" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "federal high court" (This court is often mentioned in '419' scams to give the victim a reason why he/she should send thousands of dollars to the scammers. A 'Federal High Court' exists in Germany and Nigeria, but not in other countries, such as the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Senegal, Benin, South Africa or other countries where fake lawyers in scams often claim to be based. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
- 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: FINANCIAL BANK <financialbankbenin2007@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 05:26:31 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: FINANCAIL BANK PLC, FINANCAIL BANK PLC, FOREIGN OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
FINANCAIL BANK PLC, FINANCAIL BANK PLC, FOREIGN
OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
Customer
Care:Â Â financialbankbenin2007Â @yahoo.com
OUR REF:
36/OUA/BF/FBB/02/VOL/A1 YOU’RE REF: DATE: 29/-8/2010
+22999375240
From The Desk
of Mr. Andy Duoglas
Telex Unit Foreign
Operations
Universal Trust Bank
Plc (FBB)
APPROVE OF NEW PERSONAL ACCOUNT WITHOUT OWNER
SIGNATURE IS ILLEGAL
ATTENTION: Beneficiary
Â
Â
THIS MESSAGE IS MADE TO BE READ BY THE ONLY THE
OWNER OF THE ACCOUNT WHERE THIS BANK ARE GOING TO TRANSFER THE MONEY.NOW BE
INFORMED THAT THE MONEY WHICH IS DEPOSITED HERE BY YOUR
NAME.
Â
ATTENTION MY DEARÂ THIS IS TOÂ
LET YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM Mr.TIMOTI Jude   REGARDS OF YOUR TRANSFER OF YOUR
MONEY AS WE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THIS TRANSFER OF YOUR MONEY SO FAR THEY STATED
THAT THE MONEY SURPOSE TO TRANSFER BEFORE BUT IT FAILS SOME HOW SO NOW I WANT TO
TELL YOU THAT GOD HAS HELPED YOU BY YOUR MONEY BEEN DE¨POSITED INTO THIS
BANK.
Â
NOW WE CAN WORK ON YOUR INFORMATION ON HOW TO
TRANSFER IT INTO YOUR BANK ACCOUNTÂ AS SOON AS YOU PROVIDE YOUR BANK INFORMATION
TO AVOID ANY PROBLEM.SO FOLLOW THIS INSTRUCTION IF YOU WANT YOUR MONEY TO
TRANSFER INTO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT ONÂ FRIDAY Â MORNING.
Â
YOU ARE TO PAY THIS BANK THE SUM OF $97.00 USA
DOLLAR TO TRANSFER YOUR FUNDS ONÂ FRIDAY Â MORNINGÂ THIS WEEK.SO WHATÂ YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW IS TO HUSSLE FOR THE MONEY SO
THAT THIS MONEY WILL TRANSFER FROM THIS BANK.
Â
NOW I WANT TO INFORM YOU THAT THE FEDERAL HIGH
COURT LAWYER MRÂ TIMOTIÂ Â JUDE HAS SIGN FOR THEIR AUTHORITY OF TRANSFERING THIS
MONEY SO YOU SHOULD GREAT THE MAN VERY WELL BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE THAT HELPS YOU
IN THIS MATTER.
MONEY TRANSFER WESTERN UNION
INFORMATION.
Â
YOUR FULL
NAME.........................
 YOUR
COUNTRY....................................
NAME OF
BANK....................
Â
YOUR ACCOUNT
NUMBER.........................
ADDRESS.....................
CURRENT TELEPHONE
NUMBER........................
OCCUPATION.................................
AGE........
SEX.............
Â
Â
Â
THIS IS INFORMATION YOU CAN USE TO SEND THE
MONEY TOGETHER WITH YOURÂ Â YOUR TRANSFER INFORMATION.
Â
SENDER NAME..............
Â
RECEIVER NAME........... AFIOCHA
ANTHONY
Â
AMOUNT IS 97.00. USA
DOLLARS
Â
MTCN...........................
Â
TEST QUESTION .............WHO ISÂ
CREATOR
Â
ANSWER
...........GOD
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