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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:
- "to your nominated bank account" (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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Donald Clark <klaus.kilz@t-online.de>
Reply-To: clark.donald2@aol.com
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2015 08:57:29 +0000
Subject: Re: Payment Approval Notice
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Attn: The Payment Beneficiary.
Sir/Madam,
Permit me to render apology if you find my desire to assist you not worthy enough.
Before I proceed, your past ugly experiences should be kept apart as to allow transparency to be our watch word.
I don't need to ask you the level of sufferings you have undergone because I discovered that the Senior Executives which I work under them is sitting on your approved file.
They use your fund to trade on International stock market and keep the interest to themselves.
I am ready to risk my job as to fulfill my heart desire in assisting helpless and frustrated foreign beneficiaries.
In my further search I found out that some of the Beneficiaries are not aware of this payment. Some don't even know their names and details have been used to facilitate this transfer payment secretly.
Believe me, if you continue working with your partners, they will keep giving you excuses while they make more profit with your money. Stop trusting them blindly after trying their effort for over weeks or months.
I know how difficult it can be in believing me when you have trusted many in the past and they disappointed you. My desire is to reveal the secret withholding your approved transfer file. The issue of believing lies in your hands.
There will be only a mandatory statutory payment of (Five Hundred And Seventy Euro) which will be paid to the ACCOUNTANT GENERAL OFFICE; the fee is to secure both the Clean Bill Certification Clearance on your fund and also to obtain International Wire Transfer Permit Clearance.
There will never going to be any secret hidden fee; this is the only statutory obligation that would be required of you for us to get your funds release to your nominated bank account within 14-17 working days.
Reply back only if you decide to try my capability and sincerity; I am not a saint, but trying to fulfill all righteousness to be best of my ability.
Yours Faithfully,
Dr. Donald Clark.
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