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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:
- "stamp duty" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: " Mark Jones" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dhl_servicer@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 1 May 2020 17:25:05 -0700
Subject: Greetings Beneficiary
United Bank For Africa (UBA) Carrefour
des trois Banques Avenue Pape Jean Paul
II, Cotonou, Benin? Republic
Attention: Beneficiary,
Having review all the obstacles and problems surrounding the transfer of
your fund ($3.8 Million) and your inability to meet up with the charges
levied against you due to the past transfer options. We the Board of
Directors, United Bank For Africa (UBA) has ordered our Foreign Payment
Remittance Dept to issue you an a{CORPORATE ATM CARD} where your payment will be
uploaded and we got notice today that your Payment has been uploaded into
this ATM CARD.
Contact Dhl Director, Mr.Harrison Wilson,
Tel:+229 63746727
With your Full name Delivery Address Your Country and Phone Number note that
A Tax/Stamp Duty MUST be procured according to the New Customs Creed and the
essence to ensure a hitch-free delivery
Mr Mark Jones
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Anti-fraud resources:
