|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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:
- "stay blessed" (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs. Alice Walton" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <1949alicewalton@usa.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2018 10:48:45 -0500
Subject: Re:
Season's greetings! I am Mrs. Alice Walton, a U.S citizen. I bring to you a proposal worth the sum of $14.9 (Million USD) which I intend to use for humanitarian project. I am happy to know you, I have never doubt my instinct as it has never failed me, even as it has directed me to you at this point in time so do not be afraid. I saw your e-mail contact at the department of commerce and foreign trade. I am writing this e-mail to you with heavy sorrow in my heart, it is painful to let you know that I have been suffering from a rare heart disease for the past 7 years and just few weeks ago my doctor told me that I won't survive the illness. I am contacting you because I dont have any other option than to tell you as I was touched to open up to you about my project at hand. Please get back to me with your personal information so I can provide you with further details.
Stay blessed
Mrs. Alice Walton
|
Anti-fraud resources: