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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)
- "i will like you to " (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: "Li" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <dr1967wu@Aggies.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:58:57 -0700
Subject: My Report on late Mr. Kurt Kahle Estate
Dear friend,
Permit me to bring a matter of utmost importance to your observation with
hope we can find a common ground of understanding for a mutually
beneficial project.
I work with Agriculture bank of China and in need of a reliable and
dedicated foreign partner who can take the place of a deceased customer
whose investment funds could be taken over by my Country, the People's
Republic of China very soon if no one comes up to claim it.
You may need to know the source of funds and to whom it originally
belonged. The funds in question belong to a once very active German
customer of this bank who ran a private business account with us for over
a period of ten years before his death in July of 2000. His name was Kurt
Kahle. He died along with his wife and son Michael in the illfated concord
plane crash of July 2000.
I will like you to check the reported deaths on this website to assure
your confidence;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
All you need do is to assure me of your cooperation so that we start the
ground work for the successful transfer of the funds into your local
account for ourselves instead of the State taking over the money.
Your partnership is invaluable, as it is impossible to get out this funds
without a foreigner like you. You shall be presented as the chosen
beneficiary with back up evidence from us.
I hope to do business with you.
My utmost respect,
Dr. Hu Jang Li
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Anti-fraud resources:
