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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. )
- "mtcn" (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. )
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "www.western_umt202@live.com" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- "www.western_umt202@live.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.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
Fraud email example:
From: WESTERN UNION OFFICE <fxy_24685@yahoo.com.sg>
Reply-To: WESTERN UNION OFFICE <www.western_umt202@live.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 18:39:51 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: YOUR FIRST PAYMENTS IS NOW READY TO RELEASE TO YOU.
FROM WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OFFICE. COTONOU BENIN REPUBLIC
DDRESS 455 AGBOKOU,ANKPA ROAD LAGOTES PALA
E-MAIL(www.western_umt202@live.com)
ATTENTION:DEAR CUSTOMER
FROM: WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OFFICE !DEAR CUSTOMER! WE WRITE TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR DELAYED FUND HAS BEEN RELEASED TODAY BEING APRIL 8, 2014 AND WE ARE GIVING BONUS TO OUR ENTIRE CUSTOMER. THE DEMANDED CHARGE OF $100.00 HAS BEEN REDUCED TO $49.00 WHILE THE REMAINING $49.00 HAS TO BE PAID UPON CONFIRMATION OF YOUR FIRST PAYMENT OF $2500.TODAY ONCE YOU PAYED THE NEEDED $49.00,YOU TO FILL THE INFORMATION HERE AND RETURN TO US.
FULL NAME....?
PHONE.......?
HOME ADDRESS....?
COUNTRY....?
CITY.......?
TEST QUESTION....?
TEST ANSWER......?
YOU ARE ADVISING TO GO AHEAD AND PAY HALF OF THE AMOUNT WHICH IS $49.00 THEN CONFIRM YOUR FIRST $2500. AFTER YOU CONFIRM YOUR FIRST TRANSFER YOU CAN SEND THE REMAINING BALANCE OF $49.00. AND CONTINUE RECEIVING YOUR PAYMENTS UNTIL THE TOTAL OF YOUR FUNDS SUM OF $2.8USD IS COMPLETE ON YOUR HANDS, SEND HALF OF THE MONEY TO THE FOLLOWING NAME:
RECEIVERS NAME: JOHN IKEM.
COUNTRY: BENIN REPUBLIC
CITY: COTONOU
TEST QUESTION: GOOD
TEST ANSWER: BEST
AMOUNT: $49.00
SENDERS NAME.....?
MTCN..................?
NOTE: WITHIN AN HOUR OF PAYING THE $49.00 YOU MUST CONFIRM YOUR FIRST PAYMENT AND MAKE SURE YOU SEND THE REMAINING $49.00 ONCE YOU RECEIVE YOUR FIRST TRANSFER. REMEMBER YOU HAVE ONLY TWO WORKING DAY TO MAKE THIS REQUEST OR YOUR FUNDS WILL BE TRANSFER TO GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT. THANK YOU.
YOUR URGENT REPLY IS NEEDED BECAUSE OF TIME DIFFERENCE.
CONTACT US HERE,
THANK YOU!
MRS, JEANN MORRIS
Telephone: +229 6814-5918.
E-MAIL:(www.western_umt202@live.com).
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