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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.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "huge deposit" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- 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.
- wattanasasithorn@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: Mia Paige <paigemia484@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 12:39:25 +0700
Subject: Dear
Dear
I am attorney wattana sasithorn the personal adviser to Late Mr. R
Laubscher, (a nationality of your country who has same last name with
you) but he lost his life together with all his family members in a
air crash since on 31st July 2000.
The fund has been dormant
(in-active) for 12 years in our Financial Institution here in Bangkok
Thailand without any body coming for it.
My colleague and I want to
release the fund to you as you have the same last name with him with
the owner of the account who died along with his supposed next of kin
in air crash since on 31st July 2000.
The Bank will release the fund to you as the next of kin to the
deceased. I am contacting you to assist retrieve and receive the huge
deposit funds of $7.5Million he Left behind in the bank over here in
Bangkok-Thailand before the funds gets confiscated by the bank.
Please kindly contact me with this my private email address,(
wattanasasithorn@gmail.com )
I will give you more details about this matter and the payment of the
funds to you.You can ring me at +660989166703 for more details
Thanks,
wattana sasithorn.
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Anti-fraud resources:
