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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:
- "offshore account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
- "mira.dv@live.com" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mira" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mira.dv@live.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:28:35 -0500
Subject: Can i Confide and Count on Your Partnership
Attn:
I sincerely apologize for sending you this unsolicited email. Please If you find no interest in my message, I beg of you to delete permanently from email and never bother to contact me back. I got your contact through cross border business information centre situated here in London Dubai-United Arab Emirate as an online investor.
My name is Mira; I am a beautician by profession. I am 36 years of age and a Tunisian/Congo National. Until 14th January 2011, I worked for the First Lady (Liela Ben Ali) of Tunisia as a personal aid and costume manager.
I seek your assistance to claim from a vault in Europe, accommodate and invest for me the sum of USD22.6M
This money in question is the only proceeds out of my entire proceeds for working as a private beautician, personal aid and costume manager for the former first (lady Liela Ben Ali) of Tunisia, wife of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali former and ousted president of Tunisia. You may read more of the story at http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/13/188093.html
I am presently in Dubai where I narrowly escaped arrest attempt plotted by the revolutionary soldiers after the President and his family fled to Saudi Arabia on 14th January 2011. The plot to arrest me was because the revolutionaries believe to extract vital information vital information concerning first lady's businesses and secret offshore accounts around the world.
I look forward to hearing from you... here's my personal email (mira.dv@live.com)
Regards
MIRA
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Anti-fraud resources:
