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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:
- "% will be for you" (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)
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: Josephine Lawson <j_lawson03@163.com>
Reply-To: Josephine Lawson <j.lawson03@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2015 11:27:40 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: From Mrs Josephine Lawson
My Greatings
How are you doing? i will appreciate your fast respond to my email, I am Mrs Josephine Lawson from London United Kingdom I am married to Late Dr Benedict Lawson of blessed memory for through out his life before he died in the year 2012. We where married for 8 years without a child.
Before his sudden death he deposited ($ 8.300.000.00) in a fix deposit account with one of the banks here in Abidjan Cote d' Ivoire using my name as the beneficiary since we could not bear a child, Presently this money is still with the bank in Abidjan and i am very sick from cancer of the lug despite the fibroid and tumor which denied me a child when my husband was alive as a result i may not last till the next two months according to my doctor report. after making some prayers, i was directed to contact you for this.
I want this money to be sheared among the less privileged and 35% will be for your compasaction for doing this work, my late husband relatives have shared all my husband properties and i don't want my husbands money to be used by wicked relatives since I am sure that they will not utilize the money in the way I have directed to.
Any delay in your respond will give me room to seek for another person for this same purpose.Hope to hear from you
Will All Appriciation
Josephine Lawson
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Anti-fraud resources:
