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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "here in united kingdom" (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.
- williams_duke0111@maktoob.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Williams Duke" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <williamsduka@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2011 00:13:21 +0700
Subject: I need your Urgent response
Dear Friend,.
I am contacting you today for a profitable business proposal.
My name is Williams Duke. I am the personal assistant to late Mr.Andreas Schranner, who was a property magnate from Germany but resident here in United Kingdom.
He died along with his whole Family.Find more news in this website = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm.
Apart from being his personal assistant I was also his best Friend and confidant,I was therefore in a position to know all his Financial transactions as he trusted me .
Mr.Andreas Schranner had a deposit of usd$40.5 million with a famous security and finance company here which i want you to help me receive and transfer into your bank account Till i come over to join you for sharing and investment as you may direct me.
If you agree to assist me i will give to you all the
details of the transaction and the process of receiving the funds because you will act as the next of kin to Mr Andreas Schrannes.
For assisting me in this business you will take 20% of the USD$40.5 million as your share and I will take 70% as my share while the remaining 10% will take care of the expenses we may incure during the process of the transaction.
You will keep my share for me till I join you in your country a few weeks after the transfer is made.
I want you to understand that I am not a dishonest Man.
I am only doing this because if the security company discovers that Mr. Andreas Schranner and all his relations are dead ,they will turn over the money to government and this will not help me.
Please note that there is no risk in this business as no relation of Mr. Andreas Schranner is alive today and the security firm does not know he is dead.
When you transfer the money the security firm will assume it is Mr. Andreas Schranner' next of kin who is doing the transfer because I will provide you with his letters of
administration to empower you as his next of kin.
It was when I learnt of his death that I went to his room to search for the paper work [Documents] relating to the said deposit.
I found them in a concealed [secret] drawer in his bedroom.
Please reply this message soonest if you agree to assist me with the following details about you.
Your full names
Your full address
Your age and occupation
Your private phone numbers.
Please reply via my secured email address[williams_duke0111@maktoob.com]
Yours sincerely,
Williams Duke.
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