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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:
- "contact me immediately" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "foreign remittance department" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
- 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.
- kennethandson.creditagricole@accountant.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Credit Agricole Bank Egypt" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <kennethandson.creditagricole@accountant.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2018 12:50:52 -0800
Subject: RE: OUTSTANDING PAYMENT
Rebecca Bannon (Mrs.)
Secretary; Office of Kenneth Anderson (Mr.)
Head of Central Operations Foreign Remittance Department
CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK OF EGYPT
RE: OUTSTANDING PAYMENT
This is to inform you about your inheritance payment here in Credit Agricole Bank of Egypt.
A said Albert Roland Jr (Mr.) came to claim your inheritance fund, He said you authorized him to claim the fund. He claims he is the Next of Kin to your Fund with Credit Agricole Bank of Egypt.
He provided full documentation to prove he is your Next of Kin, but the fund is yet to be released to him, Hence the reason for this Email. To find out if you are still alive, because he informed us; you are dead. So, you need to update us if you are still alive before we release the fund to Him.
Contact me immediately for further verification, to know if you have given instruction to transfer your fund to the above mentioned Next of Kin.
Kindly Reply as soon as possible to this email below
kennethandson.creditagricole@accountant.com
Mr. Kenneth Anderson
Audit/Administration Department
CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK OF EGYPT® Your Own Bank
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Anti-fraud resources:
