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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:
- "power of attorney" (with your bank details and a power of attorney form criminals sometimes empty bank accounts)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
- 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.
- mr.adamsmoses@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "MR. ADAMS MOSES" <mmkgfs001@gmail.com>
Reply-To: mr.adamsmoses@gmail.com
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2017 10:32:38 +0100
Subject: ATTN:
--
OFFICE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA
FOREIGN ALLIED CONTRACTORS
+234-8119825758
Attn: ,
Sequel to your file in my desk your records has shown that you have
done contract with the Nigeria Government for over past 10 to 20 years
and yet you have not been paid. The current administration has
strengthened effort to pay off all foreign contractors, whose payments
are yet to be done. However we are contacting you confidentially for
the second time perhaps a man contacted my office with a power of
attorney claiming your funds and indicated that before your death you
empowered him legally as the Next of Kin to claim your funds. Since we
are not too comfortable with his submission we decided to place a
contact to you to find out. Therefore we have decided to wait for two
weeks and if no response from you we will have no choice than attend
to his request.
If you are still alive and you are in receipt of my email kindly
respond back to me urgently.
Sincerely
MR.ADAMS MOSES
DG HEAD OF OPERATION
EMAIL:mr.adamsmoses@gmail.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
