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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.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "million united states 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)
- "offshore account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
- 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.
- b42jsrttwyh@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Pan Zhang" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <b42jsrttwyh@yahoo.com.hk>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 13:23:15 -0500
Subject: Reply Immediatelly
Dear friend,
My name is Pan Zhang, from Hong Kong. I work with one of the leading Banks here in Hong Kong. I need your consent to present you as the next of kin to our late customer who died of heart attack in 2009. He was a wealthy business man who deposited a huge amount in our Bank. He died without any registered next of kin as he was long divorced and had no child.
I was his accounting officer and have in my possession all the documents required to present you as his beneficiary next of kin. We can work together to claim this fund. Please listen, this is real and goes on in Banks all over the world without people knowing. Let us utilize this opportunity because it does not come always. A lot of customers open private accounts with different Banks without the knowledge of their families and when they die, such money will be lost to the Bank unless someone comes to claim it. This is how a lot of Bank Directors make so much money silently.
This business proposal in the tune of Twenty Million United States Dollars Only.($20.000.000 USD) to be transferred to an offshore account with your assistance acting as beneficiary to the funds. Everything about this transaction shall be legally done without any problem. If you are interested in partaking in this transaction.Please mail back through my private email address below.
And I shall give you more details, as soon as I receive your positive response.
Private Email: b42jsrttwyh@yahoo.com.hk
Regards,
Pan Zhang
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