|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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:
- "million 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)
- "very confidential" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Carlos Irizarry" <info@info.net>
Reply-To: <carlos.irizarry.79@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 May 2011 22:07:43 +0800
Subject: Confidential: Business Proposal Worth Millions
Hello,
I got your contact details from an online resource at a time I needed it the most. But none of that matters at the moment. My name is Carlos Irizarry and I am in the US Army.
I recovered some funds here in Iraq, during one of our military strikes. Its total was 11 million dollars. This is a very confidential issue.
I am looking for someone I can trust to assist me in securing the funds to a safer place. We can draft an agreement to this effect as I am trying to remove the funds from Iraq through any available sources as soon as possible. I am billed to go for treatment at the National Naval Medical Center soon. Doctors here diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury caused by battlefield concussions.
I would like to invest this fund once I am through with my military assignment this year. Please do contact me if you are interested in assisting me to relocate these funds.
If you can take up this venture with me, please do get back to me at my email, so that we can get to know and talk more in this regard. We shall draft an agreement on the percentage that goes to you as my partner.
I shall wait for your reply.
Regards,
Sergeant Irizarry.
United States, Special Operations Regiment (USOR).
Iraq.
|
Anti-fraud resources:
