419 scam: "Dr.Alison Holmes"<admin@jirefu.com.tw> HOW IS YOUR FAMILY

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:
- "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)
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "calvary greetings" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
This email message is a "dying widow" scam.

Fraud email example:

From: "Dr.Alison Holmes" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <alisonholmes@r7.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:06:55 +0800
Subject: HOW IS YOUR FAMILY

My Dear,

Calvary greetings in the name of Almighty God, I am Dr.Alison Holmes, A widow to Late Dr. Oliver Holmes, former Counselor of the German Embassy in Madrid, Spain. We own Treasure Art Inc and Treasure Crude Oil Marketers, we are very wealthy we have a lot of properties including Shares and houses. I am 70 years old a new Christian convert. I am suffering from cancer of the Pelvic my condition is serious, according to my doctor it is quite obvious that I may not survive the sickness.

My late husband and my only daughter died in the crash of Swiss air Flight 111 on the 2nd of September 1998. After the death of my husband I made up my mind to do the work of God as a missionary. I sold all my husband's properties and shares to enable me raise some money to continue my mission. I raised the sum of US$8.5 Million Dollars which I deposited with a Security and finance company here. Now that my sickness has gone to this stage, I am scared and I want the fund to be used for the work of God all over the world.

I have prayed to God to direct me to an honest person who will receive this fund and utilize it for things that will glorify the name of God, after my prayers, I decided to searched the Internet site,and i find your profile I decided to contact you to receive the fund. This is on the condition that you will take only 20% of the fund for yourself, 5% for any expenses incurred in the cause of the transfer, while you will use the remaining 75% for the less privileges people in the society.

I await your urgent reply on my private email... alisonholmes@r7.com

Most sincerely,
Dr.Alison Holmes.

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam