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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "chief auditor" (the name of a person or institution often appearing 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.
- paul_martinjk35@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: paul martins <paul_martinz1@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: paul_martinjk35@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:10:52 -0800 (PST)
Subject: URGENT PLS.
Dear Friend,
Greetings,
I got your profile and decided to write you for an important and confidential business proposal. My name is Mr Joses Komo,from Togo. It's Just my urgent need for a foreign partner that led to my contacting you about this transaction. I am a banker by profession and currently holding the post of a chief auditor in our Bank.
I have the opportunity of transferring an unclaimed funds ($5.3M) Five Million three Hundred Thousand Dollars belonging to one of my clients who died in a plane crash. Having no one coming up to claim his funds and if left unclaimed will be transfered to the government treasury by the bank.
Hence, I am inviting you for a business deal where we can facilitate the transfer of this fund and have promised 40 as your percentage once we are through, if you agree to my business proposal.
Further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as i receive your mail.please I advice you to kindly contact me on my direct email address,( paul_martinjk35@yahoo.com ).
Yours faithfully
Mr.Joses Komo.
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