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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:
- "your urgent reply" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Alfred Daniel" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <pjw@gala.net>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:11:25 +0100
Subject: This is for your Attention:
This is for your Attention:
I am Alfred Daniel an accountant with All Zenith Securities. I am contacting you to assist me in repatriating the sum of €28.5 Million Euro, belonging to a dead foreigner who was involved in a car accident on 21st of April 2002 with his wife and their two children, unfortunately all occupants of the car lost their lives.
I have made several enquiries to his embassy here to locate any of Extended relatives also to track his last name over the Internet this has proved unsuccessful to locate any member of his family. Now the management of the bank has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin to claim the funds or they have the account frozen.
I am therefore write to ask you that you partner with me and providing an account or setting up a new one that will serve the purpose of receiving this fund. Even an empty account can also serve as long as there will be honesty to me till the end of the deal and I hope you will never let me down. After going through records and files, I discovered that:
(1) No one has operated this account since 2003;
(2) He died without an heir; hence the money has been floating.
(3) No other person knows about this account and there was no known beneficiary. AND IF I DO NOT REMIT THIS MONEY URGENTLY, IT WOULD BE FORFEITED FOR NOTHING.
Do note that your identity or country of origin does not matter. I will require your urgent reply so that I give you the next step. Kindly forward your telephone.
Best Regards,
Alfred Daniel.
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Anti-fraud resources:
