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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:
- "my direct line" (a "direct line" in a scam usually means an untraceable mobile phone number used by a scammer in an internet cafe, a redirection service number that forwards to a mobile or a free voicemailbox in a different country.)
- 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.
- unsecbankimoon@yahoo.co.jp (Yahoo, Japan; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: "Hon. Ban Ki Moon" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <unsecbankimoon@yahoo.co.jp>
Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2002 07:06:59 +0100
Subject: UNITED NATION COMPENSATION DELIVERY.
Attn:
I am Diplomat John Coker ,United Nation Inconjunction with World bank
mandated to deliver your package to you in your country of
residence.The Package came from the remittance department of the
American Paycenter and you were made the beneficiary of this package
and they enlisted my assistance in delivering the Package to you.
I am presently at Heathrow International Airport in the United Kingdom
and will make arrangements to leave for your country to deliver the
Package to you as soon as you have to reconfirm the following
information so as to ensure that I am dealing with the right person.
1.Full Name..................
2.Residential Address....................
3.Age...................
4.Occupation....................
5.Direct Telephone Numbers......................
6 Any Form Of Identity.........................
After verification of the information with what I have on file,I shall
contact you so that we can make arrangements on the exact time I will
be bringing your package to your residential address.Send the
requested information so that we can proceed.
For Further Clarification, Call me on my direct line: +1-903-8909844
Official Email:unsecbankimoon@yahoo.co.jp
Best Regards
Hon. Ban Ki Moon
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Anti-fraud resources:
