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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:
- "hundred thousand us dollars" (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: Carlos Nascimento <sstefffffan@neostrada.pl>
Reply-To: gohsiulin@asia.com
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 04:39:08 +0800
Subject: Happy New Year
Greetings,
Compliments of the day to you and your family. I am very sorry to embarrass you with this email as I did not mean to intrude in your privacy if not for the peculiar situation I have found myself. I have contacted you because I believe you may be capable of carrying out the request I seek of you. I am currently suffering from a terminal disease cancer and my doctors have informed me that I have a few months to live and I want to try and do something special with my life now that the end is near.
Before I was diagnosed with the disease I was a very successful businessman who made a lot of money but also lived a very rough life filled with too much lust for women and more money. In the course of my illness my family members have bled me dry of nearly all my possessions and abandoned me to my fate. I presently have no friend or family as I am all alone in this hospital. Luckily I have some money totaling two million five hundred thousand us dollars that I had stashed away in a finance facility somewhere in Europe and I would be willing to donate all of it to charity. All I want is for a foundation to be set up in my name so I would always be remembered for my good deeds in life after I pass on. If you are willing to assist you would get a handsome percentage of the money and also a place in heaven as God would abundantly reward you.
Please get back to me ASAP so I can give you more details.
Thanks and God bless you.
Carlos Nascimento
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Anti-fraud resources:
