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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:
- "hundred thousand united state 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)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
- farrah8456ibr@hotmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Farrah Ibrahim" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <farrah8456ibr@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2016 21:21:27 -0500
Subject: Update..
Good day
I am Mrs. Farrah Ibrahim Hamad from the city of Baghdad in Iraq. I decided to contact you while on my search for a honest and trusted person for an urgent profitable proposal. I lost my dear husband Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim Hamad in one of the recent bomb blast terrorist attack carried out against the Sunni minority here in Iraq. Since
then i have been living in fear, worried so that another attack may not kill me with my only daughter in same way my husband was killed. Please i come to you in the name of
Almighty Allah for a possible transfer of my late husband's wealth worth Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars($9.5 million). I will give you
more details as soon as i receive your willing response to this my appeal and i plead with you to consider the helpless condition i am with my little daughter as our lives are still at risk where we are at the moment. kindly reply back.
May Almighty Allah Bless You.
My.Email : farrah8456ibr@hotmail.com
Mrs. Farrah Ibrahim Hamad
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Anti-fraud resources:
