|
|
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.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "my names are " (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: "Betty Garrett. MD" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <bettygarrett@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:34:15 +0100
Subject: Reply,
Good Day,
My names are Dr. Betty Garrett, medical director of Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I am contacting you because one of my patient wants me to locate a worthy individual that would benefit from the money left in her personal account.
My patient is currenly in the last stage of her treatment and suffering from stage 4 Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This is a terminal stage of cancer.
I have contacted you in my search over the internet looking for that individual to receive these funds. Do you happen to work for charitable organization or simply work for a good cause? If yes, please reply with details of your work. As I want to respectfully fulfil the last wish of my patient.
Sincerely,
Dr. Betty Garret
Medical Director
The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Freeman Hospital
Freeman Road
High Heaton
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE7 7DN
|
Anti-fraud resources:
