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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:
- "required fee " (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. )
- "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. )
- "money gram" (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. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- 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.
- +229 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
Fraud email example:
From: FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION <info_fbi@xtra.co.nz>
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:10:32 +1300 (NZDT)
Subject: URGENT ATTENTION:
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING 935 PENNSYLVANIA
AVENUE. NW WASHINGTON, D.C 20535-0001. USA
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URGENT ATTENTION:Â
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WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL ALERT FROM FEDEX IN REGARD TO YOUR ATM MASTERCARD PACKAGE WHICH HAS BEEN WITH THEM FOR LONG TIME.
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NOW THE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AGENT IN CHARGE PLANNED TO RETURN YOUR ATM MASTERCARD VALUED AT $850.000.00 USD TO THE GOVERNMENT DUE TO THE LONG STAY OF THE PACKAGE IN THEIR CUSTODY AND YOUR LEAK OF SERIOUSNESS TOWARD THE SHIPMENT OF YOUR MASTERCARD PACKAGE, BUT THEY NEED PERMISSION FROM US FIRST BEFORE THEY WILL RETURN THE PACKAGE TO THE GOVERNMENT.
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I ORDER THEM TO HOLD ON SO WE CAN ALSO HEAR FROM YOU IN THAT REGARD, I TOLD THEM THAT YOU CAN ONLY PAY HELP OF THE REQUIRED FEE $250 THAT HOLD THE PACKAGE IN THEIR OFFICE SINCE AND WHEN THEY DELIVER THE PACKAGE YOU PAY UP THE REMAINING BALANCE AND THEY AGREE WITH THAT. SO YOU ARE TO SEND TO THEM ONLY $125 ON RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE.
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FROM OUR INVESTIGATION WE OBSERVED THAT YOU HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY IN OTHER TO RECEIVE YOUR ATM MASTERCARD PACKAGE IN THE PAST. WE WILL HELP AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU RECEIVE YOUR ATM MASTERCARD THIS TIME ONCE YOU SEND THE FEE $125 TO THEM.
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WE URGE YOU TO PROCEED IMMEDIATELY TO ANY NEARBY WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM AGENCY AND MAKE ONLY PAYMENT OF $125 AVAILABLE TO THE COURIER RECEIVERS NAME AND INFORMATION BELOW:
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RECEIVER NAME: TAGBO CHUKA
COUNTRY: BENIN REPUBLIC
CITY: COTONOU
ZIP CODE: 00229
TEXT QUESTION: OK
ANSWER: OK
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I WANT YOU TO COPY OUT THE INFORMATION ABOVE AND MAKE SURE YOU SEND THE CHARGE FEE TODAY. WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PACKAGE IS DELIVERED WITHIN 48HOURS ONCE THE FEE IS PAID.
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REMEMBER TO USE THE TEXT QUESTION AND ANSWER ABOVE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
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GET BACK TO ME WITH THE PAYMENT CONFIRMATION DETAILS LISTED BELOW SO IT CAN BE FORWARDED TO THE COURIER FOR THEIR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY OF YOUR PACKAGE TO YOU.
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SENDER NAME:????
MTCN NUMBER....
YOUR COMPLETE ADDRESS WHERE YOU’RE PACKAGE WILL BE DELIVERED TO?
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HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AS WE WAIT YOUR IMMEDIATE REPLY
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ROBERT S. MUELLER AND DR. LINDA WILLIAMS
SENIOR OFFICE DEPARTMENT
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Anti-fraud resources:
