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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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "w_unionfoundation@careceo.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.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
Fraud email example:
From: "WESTERN UNION"<desk18@dvet.maharashtra.gov.in>
Reply-To: w_unionfoundation@careceo.com
Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:20:19 +0530
Subject: ATTENTION
WESTERN UNION FOUNDATION IN COLLABORATION WITH BARCLAYS BANK IS GIVING OUT MILLION OF DOLLAR TO THE FIRST THREE PEOPLE WHO OPEN AN ONLINE ACCOUNT WITH YORKSHIRE BANK UK IN THE ON GOING WORLD CHARITY DAY
OPEN AN ACCOUNT TODAY AND BECOME A MILLIONIARE HURRY FOR THERE IS LIMITED SPACE
Since its inception in 2001, the Western Union Foundation has committed more than US$85.2 million in grants to more than 2,591 nongovernmental organizations in more than 130 countries and territories
The Foundation provides direct grants to NGO programs and Individuals around the world that connect families with economic opportunity. We support education - including job training, life skills and language acquisition - as well as financial literacy and small business development programs.
CONTACT:
PATRICK GATSON
PRESIDENT WESTERN UNION FOUNDATION
w_unionfoundation@careceo.com
WEBSITE:foundation.westernunion.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
