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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:
- "hundred thousand us 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)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "federal republic of benin" (Benin, Cameroon, etc. are no Federal Republics, unlike Nigeria where this type of scam was invented)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Dr.Mohd Ghazi" <dr.mohdoffice@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: drmohdghazi1@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:49:35 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: Transaction From Dr.Mohd Ghazi, Tel :+22998145694
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Dear Sir / Ceo ,
I am Dr.Mohd Ghazi, Senior Accountant
& the Auditor General Manager of BANK OF AFRICA, of the Federal Republic of
Benin. I work with BANK OF AFRICA in Cotonou Benin Rep. It is my wish to
solicite your assistance in a business opportunity that will be benefited for
you and I.
During our investigation and Auditing in my Bank, in my
department I came across an abandoned sum of money ( Eight Million One Hundred
Thousand US Dollars) In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer
late MRS.F. A Shafiq , a citizen of Lebanon who died along with her entire
family.
I wish to know if we can work together. I would like you to
stand as her Next of Kin to a Fixed Deposit of US$8.1M which she made to our
Bank. She died and left nobody behind as her Next of Kin.
The Funds can
be transfered to you either through Bank to Bank wire transfer into any account
of your choice or by ATM CARD.
Please get back to me through either by
phone or email If you are interested to know much about this
transaction.
Your's Faithfully.
Dr.Mohd Ghazi.
Tel :+22998145694
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