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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:
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "here in united kingdom" (this email uses bad English)
- "i got your email address from " (this SPAM email was probably sent to thousands of people)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs. Lillian Benson" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <mrs.lillianterrybensontb@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 23:14:23 +0300
Subject: MY DEAR BELOVED FRIEND
My Dear Beloved Friend,
I got your email address from a mail directory and I was motivated to mail you for a Godly assistance. I pray this does not offend you in any way. I am Mrs. Lillian Benson a citizen of United Kingdom, and married to Dr. Terry Benson who worked with Texaco Oil Company in here in United Kingdom before he died in a motor accident on his way to a Board meeting. We were married but without a single child and since his death I decided not to re-marry besides I am 55 Years old now.
When Benson my husband was alive, he deposited the sum of $16.5M. (Sixteen Million Five Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars) with a Bank in South Africa and this money is still with the bank.
They just wrote me as the beneficiary to come and receive the money or instead issue a letter of authority to somebody to receive it on my behalf. I cannot do this myself because I am presently in a hospital where I am undergoing treatment for cancer of the lungs, I have being in this sickness for the past three and half years and I have since lost my ability to talk.
My doctors have told me that I just have few months to live that is why I have decided to use the money for charity project. I would have used my late husband's family for this, but it is just that they are not good even when my husband wanted to marry me they refused to that he should not marry me and also in helping the poor ones and being Godly.
I know they will spend this money on themselves so I decided to look for a trustworthy person or family that I will give the authority to go claim the fund from the bank and utilize 80% of the fund to support churches, orphanages and widows around the world.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact details of the bank. And also issue you a letter of authority that proves I have chosen you to take possession of the fund.
Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein and keep this contact confidential until the fund gets to you. This is to ensure that nothing distracts this project which has always being my heart desire to help the poor ones.
I await your urgent reply.
Mrs. Lillian Benson
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