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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:
- "with your full names" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- 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.
- macgilmgilb@aol.com (AOL; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr macgil" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <macgilmglbrt@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:42:26 +0200
Subject: PLEASE READ AND REPLY ME URGENTLY.
Hallo Friend,
I am Mr. Macgil. and l got your contact on my desperate search for a trusted partner who will help me in investing my late Father!s money abroad.
My late Father was a gold dealer in Ghana before his death and he left me and our family with Three million Eight hundred thousand US$ dollars( $3.8m) in an off shore Bank account including great quantity of gold dust.
As the only child, my uncles are threatening to kill me if i don't release the document of the money including other information about his gold busines to them.
I am contacting you so that you can be my foreign partner in investing this money in your country so that l can settle down in your country and start my life there. I will be glad for you to help me receive and invest this money.
I also want to assure you that 20% 0f this money will be yours for every effort and expenses you will make towards receiving this money in your country and to help me in investing it there.
Please reply me through this email:macgilmgilb@aol.com for more details, and remember to provide me with your full names,address,phone/fax numbers.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Mr. Macgil.
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