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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:
- "please indicate your interest" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a "dying widow" scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr.Justine" <admin@finvyu.com>
Reply-To: luigeorge75@libero.it
Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2018 19:36:11 +0530
Subject: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Dearest in Christ I am the above named person. I am married to Mr Antonio G=
eorge who before his death was a wealthy Cocoa Merchant in Spain We were ma=
rried for 12 years without a child. Before the death of my husband we were =
both born again Christians. My Husband left the sum of US$8.2 million Unite=
d States Dollars in a fix/suspense account in one of the prime bank.Recentl=
y, my Doctor told me that I would not last long due to cancer problem now. =
But the one that disturbs me most is my (H.B.P) high blood pressure sicknes=
s. Having known my condition I decided to seek for your kind assistance and=
gesture. I have also decided to donate the fund to the Less Privileged, Or=
phans and Charity Organization and also to support churches for the work of=
God.Please indicate your interest and willingness in this transaction by w=
riting back to me through the above email address. I have agreed to offer y=
ou 40% of the total sum for your kind gesture and assistance. I want your m=
aximum cooperation and keep this as confidential for security reasons. I am=
sincerely waiting for your kind and urgent response as soon as your receiv=
e this mail. Thanks and God bless you. Sincerely Yours, Mrs.George
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Anti-fraud resources:
