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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: heien benjamin <heien_benjamin@rediffmail.com>
Reply-To: heien_ben06@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:05:51 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Beloved one
Beloved one
I am Miss Heien Benjamin the only child
of Mr & Mrs Patric Benjamin My father was a reputable busnness man
who dellt on Cocoa and Gold .It is sad to say that he passed away
mysteriously after his return from a business trips abroad on
12th.February 2006.Though his sudden death was linked or rather
suspected to have been masterminded by his uncle who travelled with him
at that time. Before his final breath in the hospital, he disclosed to
me in confidence of the sum of $3.5Million (Three million five hundred
thousand U.S.Dollars) he deposited in a bank here in Cote D'Ivoire.
Presently, this fund is being secured
in the custody of the bank .I am contacting you for your sincere
assistance to transfer this fund on my behalf and invest it properly in
your country while I then come over to be with you and continue my
education.
For your sincere efforts in helping me
to safe-keep the fund till when I will come over to your country to meet
with you, I have resolved to give you 15%. You will also benefit in any
investment established with my own part if you will be capable of
investing this fund on my behalf as I will continue my education as soon
as I relocate to meet with you and i am promise to love you as long as
you are honest and kind.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall
give you further information vital for this transaction such as the
contact of the bank. Any delay in your reply will give me room in
sourcing another person for this same purpose. Please assure me that you
will act accordingly as I stated herein.
Your's faithfully,
Miss Heien Benjamin
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