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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)
- ",500,000" (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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr. Allen Akoto" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <allenakoto@live.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:53:40 -0700
Subject: REVERT ASAP
Dear Sir/Madam
I wish to inform you that my in law was Finance and Economic Planning Minister Honorable Kwadwo Baah Wiredu until his death. He died last year Sept 24 2008 and was buried on October 2008 under NPP Party [National Patriotic Party].
My country had election and the ruling party lost in the election under President John Agyekum Kufuor and the new President Prof. Evans John Atta Mills won the election and was sworn in 7th January 2009 Since after his death my sister and children has been denied access to travel out because his party in which my in law was serving as a minister before his untimely death lost the election and the transition TEAM has seized the entire family travelling documents.
Before his death he deposited the sum of USD$11,500,000.00 to a finance firm in Europe because he is not allowed to deposit such fund in the bank to avoid trace indeed all the documents concerning this deposit are now with my sister the wife of the late minister, of which we can make available once you indicate your interest to take custodian of this fund on behalf of the family as our nominated next of kin I will discuss with my sister and the children to allow you to take possession of the fund so that the government will not trace it and confiscate the money.
Further clarifications on this offer please: click:http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/photo.day.php?ID=150559
Please confirm your interest and readiness to work with us so that I will give you the contact of the firm the fund is deposited and the depositary documents so that you can open up communication to claim the fund.
Revert ASAP.
My regards,
Allen Akoto
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