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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "from the desk of" (a common phrase found 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: Mr Maher Akoula <christopherwestnnaemeka@gmail.com>
Reply-To: m97268773info@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:53:56 -0700
Subject: URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL.
FROM THE DESK OF:MR MAHER AKOULA,
DEAR FRIEND,
THIS MESSAGE MIGHT MEET YOU IN UTMOST SURPRISE; HOWEVER, IT’S JUST MY
URGENT NEED FOR FOREIGN PARTNER THAT MADE ME TO CONTACT YOU FOR THIS
TRANSACTION. I AM A BANKER BY PROFESSION FROM BURKINA FASO IN WEST AFRICA
AND CURRENTLY HOLDING THE POST OF DIRECTOR AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT OF
THE BANK.
I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF TRANSFERRING THE LEFT OVER FUNDS ($3.5MILLION) OF
ONE OF MY BANK CLIENTS WHO DIED ALONG WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY ON 31 JULY
2000 IN A PLANE CRASH.
HENCE, I AM INVITING YOU FOR A BUSINESS DEAL WHERE THIS MONEY CAN BE SHARED
BETWEEN US IN THE RATIO OF 60/40. SEND YOUR PRIVATE PHONE NUMBER TO CALL
YOU, IF YOU AGREE TO MY BUSINESS PROPOSAL. FURTHER DETAILS OF THE TRANSFER
WILL BE FORWARDED TO YOU AS SOON AS I RECEIVE YOUR RETURN MAIL. HAVE A
GREAT DAY..
BEST REGARDS
YOUR FAITHFULLY
MR MAHER AKOULA
HOME ADDRESS: 10-12/AVENUE.KANAZOE.
B:P 1508 OUAGA. BURKINA FASO
TÉLÉPHONE :(+226) 74952450/WHATSAPP
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Anti-fraud resources:
