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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:
- "(ecowas)" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "atmcard.section@admin.in.th" (this email address looks like addresses used in "ATM SWIFT card" scams)
- "atmcard.section@admin.in.th" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: UNITED BANK OF AFRICA <file.office14@yahoo.co.nz>
Reply-To: UNITED BANK OF AFRICA <atmcard.section@admin.in.th>
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2014 15:59:06 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: YOUR ATM VISA CARD IS READY
Having reviewed all the obstacles and problems surrounding the transfer of your $4.5 million usd funds and your inability to meet up with some charges levied against you due to the past transfer options, We the Board of Directors, United Bank Of Africa (UBA) had ordered our Foreign Payment Remittance Unit to issue you a CORPORATE ATM VISA CARD. And i wish to let you know that your funds of $4.5usd have been successfully processed into an ATM VISA CARD this morning in our Bank as instructed by the INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTION BOARD OF TRUSTEE AND ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS).
Kindly, Contact ATM CARD unit with this {atmcard.section@admin.in.th} or call Dr. Stanley Obum {+229 68326240} for more inquires and also send the following information immediately.
Â
1. Full Name ______
2. Country/Address ______
3. Phone/fax number ______
4. Age/Sex _______
5. Occupation ______
6. Another email address ______
Note: That you will not pay for the procession fee but the only issue you have to cover is the delivery fee only for your Atm Visa Card.
Â
Sincerely,
Dr. Mrs Karen Desmond
Director, Banking and Payment System Department
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Anti-fraud resources:
