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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:
- "a security company " (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. )
- "trunk box" (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)
- "million 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)
- 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.
- maries_stella@yahoo.ca (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Dusilo Michel <micheldusilo@yahoo.it>
Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2012 17:26:02 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Hello Dear,
Please my dear, do not feel embarrassed by my mail to you. I am Mrs.maries_stella Ali, the wife of late Dr. Ibrahim Ali, a prominent business man and pro-human right defender /member of the movement for national freedom before his death here in libya . During my late husband's lifetime, he deposited the total sum of $12.5 million dollars in a security company abroad- MALAYSIA (KUALA LUMPUR ) for the up keeping/ future of our children namely Mustafa and sarah Ali and informed me concerning this fund which he put and secured in a metallic box in a security and finance company abroad. This deposit was coded under a secret arrangement as a family treasure. This means that the security company does not even know the content of this trunk box. I am contacting you because I want you to help me in securing this money in the box for the future and education of my children because I can not be able to do so due to my deteriorating bad
health situation. I will make available to you 15% of the total money for your efforts in securing the box. I shall be expecting your reply- mail so that i will give you the contact of this security company and all the security information and documents to enable them release this box to you without difficulty or delay, please get back to me at: (maries_stella@yahoo.ca ) Best regards Mrs. maries_stella Ali.
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