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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)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
Fraud email example:
From: kouassi roger <kouassirogerr@rediffmail.com>
Reply-To: kouassirogerr@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2011 19:45:41 +0800 (CST)
Subject: I wait your urgent reply
From :Mr. KOUASSI Roger.
Abidjan, Cote D' Ivoire.
West Africa Dear Sir, Permit me to intruduce my good self,my name is Mr. KOUASSI Roger. I work with the Bank of Africa in Abidjan Cote D'IVoire as an accountant in the Foreign operation department. I discovered the sum of Four Million Eight Hundred Thousand US Dollars ($4.8M) which has been in the domiciliary account that has been dormant for years now. I contacted my director and we sent out staff for enquiries made all the verifications and discovered that the account holder died in Auto-crash without leaving no next of kin to the fund deposit. I am writing you so that we can work together to have this fund transferred into your account as the appointed next of kin / beneficiary to the fund. This is very simple process which will take a short while to process.Outside this the bank management will confiscate the funds as uncliamed funds if there is no one that comes for the fund. You will be acting as the appointed beneficiary to the
fund. The depositor deposited the fund in the suspence account and a Foreign Partner is his next of kin which he did not indicated in his deposit. If I hear from you, I will tell you know all you need to Know about the fund deposit for us to procced with the transaction. Also provide me your direct telephone to reach you. I wait your urgent reply
Thanks and God bless you.
Mr. KOUASSI Roger.
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Anti-fraud resources:
