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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:
- "please indicate your interest" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mrs.Nenita Villaran" <nenilove45@yahoo.co.th>
Reply-To: vnenita45@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:32:34 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: Kindly signify your interest.
Hello Dear,
I am Mrs. Nenita Villaran from Republic of Philippines,after go through your profile I believe I can trust you with this transaction.I inherited a total sum of Twelve million dollars ( USD 12M ) from my late husband;this money was deposited with a finance company in Cote d'Ivoire.
I am presently in house arrest under government survalance and I need you to move the money into your custody for investment.Please indicate your interest that you are capable to handle this transaction and I will send you further details on how to execute this transaction on my behalf.
Thanks for your comprehension and willingness to assist me.
Kindly signify your interest.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs.Nenita Villaran
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Anti-fraud resources:
