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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:
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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 us 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)
- "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- 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.
- wilkinsray@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "sgt.wilkinray19_2013@libero.it" <sgt.wilkinray19_2013@libero.it>
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:17:57 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: Waiting For Your Kind Responds...
Hello Dear,
I am writing on behalf of myself and my team mates (THREE IN NUMBER). We are
US troops stationed in Afghanistan, we seek your urgent assistance to help
secure a consignment of ours containing 29.5 million US dollars in a sealed
diplomatic box.
The consignment was shipped out of Afghanistan a couples of weeks ago for safe
keeping in in Western Europe country withheld fro security reasons. WE seek you
assistance to receive and safeguard the fund pending our redeployment back to
STATES. You will be rewarded with the sum of 5.5 million US dollars out of the
29.5 million US dollars in total in acknowledgment of your help in securing the
fund.
Please kindly respond to our proposal confirming your interest by return email
to enable us discuss further and give you more information regarding the
deposit and how to claim it on our behalf. As you may know, for security
reasons we are only allowed access to radio message which is constantly
monitored hence we will keep our communication Solely via email pending our
redeployment. I am expecting your immediate response.
Please kindly reply us back via this private email address: sgt.
wilkinsray@hotmail.com for more information on what next to do.
Yours truly,
Sgt.Wilkins Ray and Team
Afghanistan.
Please kindly reply us back via this private email address: sgt.
wilkinsray@hotmail.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
