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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:
- "00,000.00" (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)
- "you are advice to " (this email uses bad English)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "UNITED NATIONS" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <acctdeptoff2012@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 02:00:20 -0500
Subject: (((PAYMENT NOTIFICATION)))
UNITED NATIONS
COMPENSATION CLARIFICATION UNITS
Our Ref: UN/CCU/0114/01623012
Allocation Code: 08UNIPCA05102014
Project Agent: Roberto Henz
Location: London - United Kingdom
In Respect of : Beneficiary
The Beneficiary UNAP Compensation Award Recipient
This e-mail has been issued to you in order to Officially inform you that we have completed an investigation on an International Payment in which was issued to you by an International Lottery Company. With the help of our newly developed technology (International Monitoring Network System) we discovered that you have been scammed on the cause of trying to having this fund release to you and at such we have Approved US$1,300,000.00 on your behalf as Compensation payment for all the money you have lost on the
cause of trying to have your fund release to you but ended up to be a victim scam.
In view of the above and with reference of the just concluded meeting this morning; it was agreed and resovled that your fund will be
release to you via telephone banking susytem whereby you will transfer your fund to any of your local bank account of your choice by yourself via your telephone.
However, we have mandated CREDIT SUISSE BANK to carry out all modalities to ensure that this New Approval Payment of US$1,300,000.00 is release to you within the next Seven(7) working days as stimulated depending on your compliance and your steady responses with CREDIT SUISSE BANK.
Moreover, you are advice to get back to me as soon as possible you receive this email for further instructions and directions on how to contact CREDIT SUISSE BANK for immediate release of your fund to you.
Kindly confirm the acceptance of this correspondence by replying to this message.
Thank you.
Roberto Henz
Senior Program/Payment Compensation Officer
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