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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:
- "million 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)
- "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Patricia Ella Beckford <ellabeck27@gmail.com>
Reply-To: Patricia Ella Beckford <prettyangel1on1@outlook.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2017 07:26:39 +0900 (JST)
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP
Hello dear,
I am Patricia, 23 years old from Nigeria, i have never married before and i have no kid either.I lost my mother when i was only 4 yrs old and since then my father took me so special. My father was an oil dealer based in the northern state of Kaduna. My father died in the hospital from the gunshots wound he sustained during boko haram terrorists attack in Kaduna state. Before he gave up the ghost, he called me by his side and told me that he has a deposit sum of $4.5 million dollars in the bank in Abidjan, Cote d'ivoire which he used my name being his only child as the next of kin. He also gave me contact information of his lawyer in Abidjan. I came to Abidjan 4 days ago and met with the lawyer who advised i should look for a foreign partner who will receive the fund on my behalf.
My daer i am sincerely seeking your assistance in the following way:
1. To help me receive the fund
2. To assist me secure a residence permit in your country
3. To help me invest the fund in a real estate while i further my education
4. To help me secure Adimission in the university
I am willing to give you 10% of the total fund for your assistance.
Have a nice day as i look forward to hear from you.
Yours,
Patricia.
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Anti-fraud resources:
