419 scam: "mike"<davemike20013@yahoo.com.hk> Dear Friend

joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet

Try our spam filter!
Free trial for 30 days

Home

About Us

Spam

419/Nigeria

Fraud

Contact

"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:

An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
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:
- "dormant account" (Banks mentioned in 419 scams are always fake (real banks don't communicate using mobile phones or free webmail addresses))
This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- dave.mike85@yahoo.com.hk (email address has been used in a known fraud before)

Fraud email example:

From: "mike" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <davemike@w.cn>
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 09:54:10 +1100
Subject: Dear Friend

Greetings from Dave Mike,

I am Mr. Dave Mike, Group Accountant (R.B.T.T) However, I have
already sent you this same letter by post one month ago, but I am not
sure if it did get to you since I have not heard from you, hence my
resending it again.

I discovered a dormant account in my office, as Group Accountant with
Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. It will be in my interest to
transfer this fund worth $28.5M Dollars (Twenty Eight Million Five
hundred thousand Dollars) in an account offshore. Can you be my
partner?
Please reply me at my private email address { dave.mike85@yahoo.com.hk}

Regards and respect,
Dave Mike

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam