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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dormant 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 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: fatima gonzales <fatimagonzales2626@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 10:10:46 +0100
Subject: GOOD DAY MY GOOD FRIEND
My name is Fatima Azaan Gonzales. Can we do business together? I discovered a dormant account in my office, as an Account Manager with United Overseas Bank Plc. I want to know if you can be a collaborator with me to move the fund for our own use. Remember this is absolutely confidential, my colleagues and Bank does not know about this. My life will be in shambles if it burst out and I will also be in trouble as well as lose my precious job. No risk involved its 100% risk free. As I will provide you with the necessary documents required to make the transaction a success. Please write me even if you are not interested.
Best regards and respect, Fatima Azaan G
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Anti-fraud resources:
