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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 friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "confidential business" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "is 100% risk free" (almost true for the criminal trying to scam you - arrests of online criminals are rare)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr.Patrick Joseph" <mrpatrickj95@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:35:47 -0700
Subject: Hello
Dear Friend,
Sorry to invade your privacy, I am writing you this mail to solicit
for your cooperation in a very confidential business transaction of
(US$28.5 Million) only. The deposit was made by our deceased customers
who died without next of kin. I propose a 40% of the total amount to
you as your pourcentages after receiving the funds successfully, and I
assure you that this transaction is 100% risk free and legal. I seek
your partnership to claim these funds to avoid being confiscated by
the bank, if you're interested please reply to me immediately so I
will let you know the next steps to follow.
Best Regards.
Mr.Patrick Joseph.
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Anti-fraud resources:
