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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:
- "huge sum of money" (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. Kwong Yeung" <info@bank.com>
Reply-To: mrkwongyeung19@nba2k.com.cn
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:46:12 +0100 (CET)
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP
Hello,
I am contacting you on a business transaction of a huge sum of money from
a deceased account, though I know a transaction of this magnitude will
make any one apprehensive and worried, but I’m assuring you that all
will be well at the end of the day and this is why am contacting you due
to the urgency of this transaction.
We discovered an abandoned sum of $17.3m in an account that belongs to one
of Our foreign customer who died along side with his entire family, and
ever Since his death none of his next of kin or relations has come forward
to lay claim for this money as his heir.
We cannot release the funds from his account unless someone applies for
Claim as the next of kin to the deceased as indicated on our banking
Guidelines. Upon this discovery we now seek your permission to have you
stand as a next of kin to the deceased in which all documentationsWill be
carefully worked out by us for the funds to be released in your favour as
the Beneficiary’s/next of kin to the deceased. And It may interest
you to know that we have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to
locate any of the deceased beneficiary. Kindly acknowledge receipt of this
message if you intend to assist me.
Please send an email: [mrkwongyeung19@nba2k.com.cn]
Regards.
Mr. Kwong Yeung
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Anti-fraud resources:
