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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.
- 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.
- flognassingbe@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Florent Gnassingbe" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <flognassingbe@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 23:45:47 +1000
Subject: Message from Florent - Please Reply Urgently!
My greetings to you,
I am Florent Gnassingbé, tone of the sons of Late General Gnassingbé Eyadéma, the former President of Republic of Togo. Before my father passed away, he called me privately that he had a deposit valued ($14.5 million Cash) and a deposit of 50 kilos, (22 Carat) ALLUVIAL GOLD DUST in the Republic of Ghana which he intended to move abroad for investment.
He gave me a business card of his oversea business associate for me to contact with the information he had given to me which I regrettably misplaced and I can not trust my uncles with this secret because they will dispossess me of this inheritance. I lost my mother when I was 12 and has known only my father all my life. I am now in Ghana to claim this inheritance and I need your help.
I have however, decided to put my inheritance into your hand with the hope of helping me secure a better life abroad and far away from my family members who will stop at nothing to lay hands on this inheritance if they know about it. I need to hear from you very urgently . I will give you more details when I hear from you.
Please get back to me on flognassingbe@gmail.com as soon as possible. I will be waiting for your response.
Thanks and God Bless You.
Florent Gnassingbé
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Anti-fraud resources:
