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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear beneficiary," (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- "contract award committee" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- justokeke@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Dr. Justin Okeke" <justokeke@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:14:03 +0600
Subject: Dear Beneficiary,
Dear Beneficiary,
Compliment of the day. I am the chairman Contract Award Committee,
Ministry of Petroleum Resources Nigeria. I am mandated to look for a
trustworthy foreign agent to help us in the transfer of $64M (Sixty four
million US Dollar) into a very safe account. I wish to confide in you
based on your profile and integrity.
This money was part of the contract we awarded to some foreign companies
which was duly executed and the contractors in that category have been
fully paid.
You will be required to:
(1) Assist in the transfer and receiving of the said funds into your bank
account.
(2) Advise on lucrative areas for investment in your country of domicile.
Please indicate interest by giving me the following below to enable me
furnish you with further information about this transaction.
1. Your Full Names:
2. Your Contact address:
3. Your personal phone number:
Send your reply to my private mail box (justokeke@gmail.com)
Sincerely,
Dr. Justin Okeke
Chairman, Contract Award Committee.
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Anti-fraud resources:
