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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- benjohnson_private@yahoo.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Master Johnson Ousmane. <edufiress@iuichiichikawa.com>
Reply-To: <benjohnson_private@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:09:20 +0000
Subject: From Master Johnson Ousmane.
My Dear,
Good day to you and how are you today, I am a boy by name Johnson Ousmane from from Ivory Coast and I am 17 years old and my father is from the group of incubent president Laurent Gbagbo ,who was captured on 11 April 2011 and detained
During the the war my father & my mother was killed during the heat of the war and I was left alone now but now I am looking for some one that will help me transfer the money my father deposited in a bank with my name as the next of kin and serve as a guardian to me since I am still a tenager.
Now I want to tell you that the money is $4.3 Million U.S dollars in the bank and the covering document are in my possesion. I will give you 15% of the money if you help me but you will still take care of me by investing my own share with your name in your country while I further my education.
If you know that you will help me then kindly reply me my private email address benjohnson_private@yahoo.com and call me on this phone number +22548359289 for more details about the transaction.
Thanking you and I am waiting for your response.
Master Johnson Ousmane.
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