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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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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)
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
- This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
Fraud email example:
From: contact-------------------------------- infos <pupwaw8348@att.net>
Reply-To: trev.shedrack@yahoo.fr
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:59:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: SENDING THE KEY PARCEL BY POSTING
ATTN;BENEFICIARY,
I AM SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED BY THE DELAYS IN SENDING THE KEYS TO YOU BUT I AM SUSPECTING THAT YOU WANT TO CAPTURE THE CONSIGNMENT BOX BY DECEPTION AND I CANNOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN. I HAVE ALREADY EMAILED THE UNITED NATION SPOKESPERSON AND CONFIRMED TO HIM THAT THE KEY IS NOT YET SENT TO YOU.
I DID IT BASED ON THE INSTRUCTION THAT FOLLOWS THE CONSIGNMENT BOX AND I CANNOT GO BEYOND THE PRINCIPLE. SO, YOU MUST ABIDE TO THE RIGHT TURN FOR YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR CONSIGNMENT BOX IN GOOD TERMS.
I WENT TO THE POST OFFICE FOR THE PURPOSE OF POSTING THE KEY ENVELOP TO YOU BY POSTING FOR THE REASON THAT YOU COULD NOT AFFORD DHL COST BUT I WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO PAY FOR STAMP BECAUSE; THE ENVELOP CANNOT BE POSTED WITHOUT STAMP FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE POSTING.
AGAIN, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT SENDING THE KEY BY POST OFFICE WILL LAST FOR 12 DAYS BEFORE IT COULD GET TO YOUR ADDRESS ACCORDING TO WHAT I WAS TOLD BY THE POSTING MANAGER.
SO, YOU ARE TO SEND THE COST OF STAMP WHICH IS $52 ONLY AND I SHALL POST THE KEY AND UPDATE YOU ON THE STATUS IMMEDIATELY.
YOU CAN USE THIS PAYMENT INFORMATION TO SEND THE MONEY THROUGH WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER:
RECEIVER'S NAME: IKELI MARCEL
ADDRESS: COTONOU, BENIN REPUBLIC.
TEXT QUESTION: IN GOD
ANSWER: WE TRUST
AMOUNT: $52
SORRY FOR THE DELAY OK? I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND ME PERFECTLY?
I REMAIN YOURS FAITHFULLY IN SERVICE,
THE MANAGEMENT
UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA.
SIGN: REV. SHEDRACK T. JOHNSON
+229 9550 3311
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Anti-fraud resources:
