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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)
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- 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.
- judeedo2@safe-mail.net (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: MR JUDE EDO <contact@ifcworldbankgroups.org>
Reply-To: judeedo2@safe-mail.net
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2016 20:26:09 -0400
Subject: BUSINESS PROPOSAL
From Mr Jude Edo
Confidential Business Proposal!!
My name is Mr Jude Edo the manager of Auditing and Account Department
in China Merchants bank. I Hope that you will not expose or betray
this trust and confident that I am about to repose on you for the
mutual benefit of our both families.
I need your urgent assistance in transferring the sum of ($45.5M)
Forty Five million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars to your
account within 11 or 15 banking days. This Money has been dormant for
years in our Bank without claim. I want the Bank to release the money
to you as the nearest person to our deceased Customer (the owner of
the account) died along with his supposed next Of kin in an air crash
since July 2003.I don’t want the money to go into our Bank treasurer
as an abandoned Fund. So this is the reason why I contacted you so
that the bank can Release the money to you as the next of kin to the
deceased customer. Please I would like you to keep This proposal as a
top secret and delete it if you are not interested.Reply to
judeedo2@safe-mail.net
Here is the sharing ratio; you will get 50% as your share, while I get
50% for me. If you can be my partner, please contact me immediately
with the required Information listed below:
Your Full Names......................... ......
Phone Number .............................. ...
Your sex....................................
Age........................... ................
Occupation.................... ................
Country ................
Yours Sincerely,
Mr Jude Edo.
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