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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- bernard.madoff7@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Bernard Lawrence Madoff <bernard.l.madoff@outlook.com>
Reply-To: bl.madoff77@gmail.com
Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 15:13:05 -0300
Subject: Urgent attn:
--
Attn:,
I am Bernard Lawrence Madoff the founder of wall street firm Bernard L.
Madoff investment securities LLC in 1960 and was the former chairman of
NASDAQ.I was accuses of fraud worth over $170 billion dollars and was
arrested on Dec 11,2008 and on march 12,2009.I was plead guilty to 11
federal crimes and admitted to operating the largest ponzi scheme in
history.
Let me not go into many details. I have more than 7.4 billion British
Pounds Sterling in Barclays bank and HSBC London. This money nobody knows
about it except my bank officers because the money was deposited under
serial codes. I need your help right now not only to reinvest the money 50%
will go to charity and 20% will be map out for the promotion of gospel and
building of churches and mosques all over the world and 25% for you while
4% goes to the bank officials who will help you facilitate the transaction
and 1% for my up keeping in the prison because i know that i will die soon.
Please I want this coordinate to be completed as soon as possible.
Finally, I want you to know that before taking this step of contact with
you, I am convinced that you can handle the subject without an error so do
not see this communication as a mistake but you have to hold this to
yourself.
Kind respect
Bernard Lawrence Madoff
bernard.madoff7@gmail.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
