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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 sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- ",000,000" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "00,000.00" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
- "loan amount" (Beware of fake loan offers. Real lenders would not normally use free webmail addresses such as Yahoo, nor would they lend to individuals or small businesses in a different country from where they are based. Beware of mobile phones or redirector numbers!)
- "your loan " (Beware of fake loan offers. Real lenders would not normally use free webmail addresses such as Yahoo, nor would they lend to individuals or small businesses in a different country from where they are based. Beware of mobile phones or redirector numbers!)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Ocean Finance Services Limited" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <oceanfinanceservicesltd@bitscn.net>
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:22:58 +0800
Subject: Loan Offer
Dear Sir/Madam,
Welcome to Ocean Finance Services, we wish to inform the public within Malaysia and Abroad that this company is offering a 2% interest loan. We are offering loan within the range of $1,000 to $100,000,000.00 USD from 1 Year to 50 years. We welcome every customer small or big with the same respect and customer services.
Interested persons should contact us with the following information's below and you are advised to specify your loan Amount in dollars.
1) Full Name:
2) Age:
3) Sex:
4) Occupation:
5) Marital Status:
6) Nationality:
7) Loan Amount needed:
8) Loan Duration:
9) Monthly Income:
10) Reason for loan:
11) Tel:
This loan is open for all countries and you must be 18 and above to apply for this loan. As soon as we receive your application we will send you other procedures.
Regards
Dr.Derrick Vector
OCEAN FINANCE SERVICES.
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Anti-fraud resources:
