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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)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "MR. ISSA BELLO" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <issabello@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:05:19 -0800
Subject: SOCIETY GENERAL BANQUE DU BURKINA
FROM MR. ISSA BELLO
SOCIETY GENERAL BANQUE DU BURKINA
OUAGADOUGOU - BURKINA FASO
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 ($ 10 million USD) of one of my banks client who died along with his entire family on 31 July 2000 in a plane crash. You can confirm the genuineness of the deceased death by clicking on this website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
Hence , I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared between us in the ratio of 65/35%. 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.
Yours sincerely,
MR. ISSA BELLO
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Anti-fraud resources:
