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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:
- ",500,000" (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)
- "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- "pauldon12@yandex.com" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- This email message is a "New Partner from Paraguay" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Jeffrey Micheal" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <pauldon12@yandex.com>
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2017 21:38:51 -0700
Subject: COMPENSATION FOR YOUR PAST EFFORTS TO ASSIST ME
Hello My Good Friend,
I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting those funds transferred under the cooperation of a new partner from South Korea. Presently I'm in S.Korea for investment projects with my own share of the total sum and I will be back in the Summer of 2019. Meanwhile, I didn't forget your past efforts and attempts to assist me in transferring those funds despite that it failed us some how.
Now contact my secretary with his info below:
Name: Barr. Paul Donald
Email:pauldon12@yandex.com
Ask him to send you the total of 2,500,000 Million USD which i kept for your compensation for all your past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter. I appreciated your efforts at that time very much. So feel free and get in touched with my secretary Philip Johnson and instruct him where to send the money to you.
You are to forward to him the following:
1. YOUR FULL NAME & ADDRESS
2. YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER...
Please do contact him now as he is waiting for your email correspondence.
Thanks once again.
Yours Faithfully,
Engr. Jeffrey Micheal
JM Holdings Coy
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Anti-fraud resources:
