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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: J Scott William <scottwilliam651@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2021 11:22:37 +0100
Subject: ATTENTION BENEFICIARY.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing you this email in my personal capacity and not from my office.
I wish to know if you are still interested in receiving your fund or if you
have abandoned it. I have a file here that suggests that you have abandoned
your fund. I just assumed the office of the foriegn payment department and
have the capability to complete your fund transfer, that is if you are
still interested. Let me know urgently.
Regards,
Scott William.
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Anti-fraud resources:
