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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dearest one," (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "can i trust you?" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Solomon Doum <solomodoum@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 09:11:11 +0100 (BST)
Subject: From Solomon Doum
Dearest One,
How are you?hope fine.Please I apologize for any inconvenience my email may cause you because we don't know each other before. I believe with good understanding and trust we can create a genuine relationship. My name is Solomon Doum. Please I want you to become my legal guardian or investment partner as wished by my late father to receive my inheritance fund of US$9.5million which he deposited into your foreign account and help me relocate to your country for good investments and to continue my education. I am all alone here now.
Please can I trust you? It is about my life and my future? Please answer me soon.
Sincerely,
Solomon Doum
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Anti-fraud resources:
