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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "waiting for your urgent response" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- mrhass_ankali2@yahoo.co.id (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr Hassan Kalifa" <hassankali3@gmail.com> (may be fake)
Reply-To: hassankali4@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 04:15:19 +0000
Subject: Assalamu Alaikum
Salam Brother,
This message might meet you in utmost surprise however,I feel to contact you because i prefer to do things with a good muslim and also mature someone especialy in this business opportunity. It's just my urgent need for a foreign partner that made me contact you for this transaction.
I am a banker by profession from DAKAR REPUBLIC OF SENEGAL in west Africa and currently holding the post of auditing general, I discover this deposit in our auditing course.I have the opportunity of transfering the left over funds United State Dollars belonging to the deceased client who died in the sharter plane which crashed on mount kenyan in the kenyan city of sumburu on 21st july,2003 to any foreign account .. You can confirm the genuiness of the deceased death by clicking on this
website :http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html
Hence,i am inviting you for a business deal where this funds United State Dollars can be shared between us in the ratio 60/40 if you agree to my business proposal.Contact me mrhass_ankali2@yahoo.co.id
Eagerly waiting for your urgent response so that i can tell you more about this.
Wassalam
Mr Hassan Kalifa
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Anti-fraud resources:
