joewein.net   joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
Try our spam filter!
 Free trial for 30 days
   jwSpamSpy
Home
About Us
Spam
419/Nigeria
Fraud
Contact

"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:

Fraud email example:

From: Bank of America <service@zone-ar.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:07:52 +0200
Subject: Online Banking Alert!

Bank of America
Bank of America(R)


Online Banking Alert







Security Checkpoint:

Remember: Always look for your SiteKey® before entering your Passcode.






As part of our security measure, We regularly screen activity in the Bank of America system. You received this message due to an issue on your account.

Due to unusual number of invalid login attempts on your account, we have reason to believe there might be security breach on your account.

Your account requires extra verification process to ensure your identity and your account security.

To continue to the verification process and ensure your account security,
Please Click Here






Security Checkpoint: This email includes a Security Checkpoint. The information in this section lets you know this is an authentic communication from Bank of America. Remember to look for your SiteKey every time you sign in to Online Banking.





Privacy and Security
Keeping your financial information secure is one of our most important responsibilities. For an explanation of how we manage customer information, please read our Privacy Policy.

Bank of America Email, 8th Floor-NC1-002-08-25, 101 South Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28255-0001

Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender
© 2011 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Anti-fraud resources: