|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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)
- "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
- "you are advise to" (this email uses bad English)
- "farida mzamber waziri" (This name is often mentioned in money recovery scams (re-scam): the real EFCC does not contact victims to offer to get their money back because that is near impossible. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "YOUR PAYMENT NOTIFICATION"<info@efcc.com>
Reply-To: <faridaw52@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 10:11:29 +0100
Subject: YOUR PAYMENT NOTIFICATION EFHWECYXLZ
YOUR PAYMENT NOTIFICATION
Dear Sir/Madam,
It was Resolved and Agreed Upon By the Board Members And Directors of Efcc Investigation Office Nigeria That your fund valued $8.5Millon Will be Release to You On A Special Method Payment.via key telex transfer (KTT) direct wire transfer,You Are advise to get back to this office within 48hours. Kindly Send The Following Information To Your Claim Agent To Facilitate The Release Of Your Fund.
1.Full Name......
2.Telephone Number......
3.Date Of Birth......
4.Sex......
5.Contact Address.....
6.Country......
7.Fax Number......
8. Occupation......
BEST REGARDS,
Mrs. Farida Mzamber Waziri
WGWXLQHIHRSCLEJVHDQDJWOMQKPXHQGRTOHTDC
|
Anti-fraud resources:
