|
|
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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Vivian Anderson <madamstewartprisca@gmail.com>
Reply-To: vivianandeersonaa99@aol.com
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2021 16:42:26 +0000
Subject: From Mrs. Vivian. Anderson
--
I am Mrs. Vivian. Anderson from Kuwait married to a French national.
Presently I am in one of the hospitals here in Ivory Coast
Myself and my late husband does not have any child that is why i am
donating this money to you having known my condition that I will join
my late husband soonest.
I wish to donate towards education and the less privileged i ask for
your assistance. I am suffering from colon cancer I have some few
weeks to live according to my doctor.
My husband stressed the importance of education and the less
privileged I feel that this is what he would have wanted me to do with
the money that he left for charity.
These services bring so much joy to the kids. Together we are
transforming lives and building brighter futures - but without you, it
just would not be possible.
Mrs. Vivian. Anderson
|
Anti-fraud resources: