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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:
- 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:
- "urgent assistance" (scammers rush victims so they don't have time to think properly)
- 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.
- malikusman@sify.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: okafor mary <mary_okafor2006@yahoo.com.hk>
Reply-To: malikusman@sify.com
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:05:44 +0800 (HKT)
Subject: CAN I TRUST YOU?
My name is Mr Malik Usman, I am a regional manager with the Prudential Insurance Bank Plc. I am writing to solicit your urgent assistance in the transfer of $31.5m Us Dollars . My late client FUND in person of Mr Lech Kacrynski the president of Republic of Poland who death on plane crash.
This fund was made by my branch as excess after the last year auditing. I have already submitted an approved end of the year report for the year 2010 to my head office and they will never know of this excess.I have placed this fund on a suspence account without a beneficiary. You are presently acting as his relation (next of kin) for the claim of the fund, since we could not be able to reach out to any of his relation. Reply urgently.
Regards Mr malik usman
PLEASE KINDLY REPLY TO (malikusman@sify.com)
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Anti-fraud resources:
