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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Lerato Kumalo <lerato_k@rocketmail.com>
Reply-To: <lerato_kh@rocketmail.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:14:18 +0100
Subject: Assist for lucrative business deal
Dear friend,
I feel quite safe dealing with you in this business proposition after
gone through your remarkable profile on the international directory. I
am miss lerato Kumalo one of the female bodyguard to late President
Muammar Al-Gaddafi of libya. I was captured before my boss was killed
and since then I am in the prison. I have this little opportunity
through the help of prison security to ask you for assistance. I write
you with all honest desire to help in assisting me repatriate the sum of
$8.2M United States dollars I deposited with finance bank. Again I am
contacting you to recieve this fund for me and help me invest it in your
care and send some money to me here to pay for my fine and come out. My
relations disowned me, abandon me because I took the contract from late
Gaddafi but I thank God today that Libya government have grant me bail,
so i will need a trust and God fearing person who will not betray me
after receiving this total fund.
Dear friend if you indicate any interested on this transaction kindly
get back to me as soon as possible so that i will furnish you with more
details. View below.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/facts-about-muammar-gaddafis-beautiful-virgin-kil
Regards,
Ms. Lerato Kumalo
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Anti-fraud resources:
