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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "a security company " (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. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Ishmael Odum" <ishmaelodum@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 29 May 2014 00:02:34 +0200
Subject: Urgent Business Proposal
Dear Friend,
I have a business proposal for you and not your buyer. I have about
5kg of gold nuggets at a security company in South Africa that my late
father let me. It have been there for 5 years now and because I don't
have money to pay for the safe keeping charges I can go for it.
This is what I want us to do if you can help me pay for the charges,
we are going to share 60% - 40%. My family take 60% and you take 40%,
you are going to take 40% because you paid for the sake keeping
charges and your other expenses.
If you are interested in this transaction please get back to me ASAP.
Thanks
Ishmael
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Anti-fraud resources:
