|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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:
- "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: Mrs Helen Jones <paulnlemorisa77@yahoo.co.jp>
Reply-To: Mrs Helen Jones <helenjones341@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 00:33:23 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Re: Greetings From Mrs. Helen Jones
Greetings From Mrs. Helen Jones
Based
on your good profile i want to solicit for your assistant in fulfilling
my wish, i am Mrs Helen Jones 52yrs old widow from Russia, my husband
and i worked with Tullow oil Cote d Ivoire since 20 years now before he
died tow years ago, i am writting you this message via a computer lap
top on my sick bed at the hospital were i am undergoing medical
treatment I have been diagnosed of Endometrial cancer unfortunatelly for
me my doctor said i don't have any chance to survive except by a
miracle i have spent a lot of money on medical treatment yet no
improvement.
The reason why i am writting you this letter is
because I need a good honest God fearing person who can use $7,000.000
that my late husband deposited in a Bank earlier before his death last
two years November and because of my condition now I decided to donate
this fund to a charity organization. i want to give the bank instruction
to transfer this fund to you so that you can donate it to orphanges
& children and also support some churches for God's work. i dont
have any bilogical child of my own who will inherit this fund my
relatives and my husband's relatives have plundered so much of my wealth
since my illness and i cannot live with the agony of entrusting this
huge responsibility to any of them anymore.
Please help me to
fulfil this goal before i die and please always remember me in your
pray. Please if you are will willing to help me fulfil this gret work of
God for charity our god will compensate you, I will like you to contact
me today.
I expecting to here from you soonest.
Sincerlly Yours Sister in Christ,
Mrs Helen Jones
|
Anti-fraud resources:
