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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:
- "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. )
- 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.
Fraud email example:
From: Tamara Calvert <info@message.com>
Reply-To: tamaracalvert@rocketmail.com
Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:08:20 -0800
Subject: Urgent help needed
Hope you get this on time, I made a trip to DUNDEE, Scotland and had my bag
stolen from me with my passport and personal effects therein. The embassy has
just issued me a temporary passport but I have to pay for a ticket and settle
hotel bills. I've made contact with my bank but it would take me 3-5 working
days to access funds in my account from SCOTLAND. I was thinking of asking you
to lend me some quick funds that I can give back as soon as I get in.
I really need to be on the next available flight, I can forward you details on
how to send me money. Western Union Transfer is the fastest option to wire funds
to me. Let me know if you need my details(Full names/location) to effect a
transfer. You can reach me via email.
I await your response....
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Anti-fraud resources:
