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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:
- "hundred thousand united state dollars" (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)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "central bank of nigeria" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "contract award committee" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Dr.Joseph Dawha" <conceicao.pinto@oi.com.br>
Reply-To: dr.josephdawha@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 10:31:03 -0700
Subject: KINDLY EMAIL ME BACK.
>From Dr. Joseph Dawha Director in charge of procurement and awards
of contracts in the Nigerian National petroleum corporation (N.N.P.C)
I wish to seek your collaboration in handling a venture
that I feel would be mutually beneficial to you and me.
For your information when i was the chairman contract award committee
in 2011 and i colluded with a foreign company who we awarded the turn around
maintenance of port-Harcourt refinery in rivers state Nigeria by inflating
it with $41.600,000 usd ( Forty one million six hundred thousand
united state dollars).
The contract has long been completed and commissioned and the foreign firm
has been paid in full leaving the over invoiced sum in the central bank of
Nigeria escrow account.So i want to move out the fund in other to
invest it. Kindly email me back with your phone and address
for further discussion.
Best regard,
Dr.Joseph Dawha.
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Anti-fraud resources:
