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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.
- 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. )
- "mtcn" (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. )
- "hundred thousand united state 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)
- "united state dollar" (this email uses bad English)
- "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- "interpolpoliceunit@atlantisgoose.com" (this email address has been used in a known scam)
- 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.
- 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.
- scarletcompany86@yahoo.fr (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: INTERPOL POLICE UNIT <mini731031@yahoo.com.tw>
Reply-To: scarletcompany86@yahoo.fr
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 17:32:41 +0800 (CST)
Subject: WE HAVE DEPOSITED YOUR FUNDS WITH SCARLET COMPANY FOR DELIVERY
Attention To The Owner Of This Email Address
You are welcome to desk of Chief Hon,Monday James International Interpol Police Force Investigating Unit Benin Republic.
We are Working towards a corruption-free world by promoting and defending integrity, justice and the rule of law' Mission statement of
the International Anti-Corruption Academy.
We cover West African Countries.This is official notice to you that we have been mandated by His Excellency Mr. President Dr Thomas Boni Yayi to monitor and follow up your payment of One Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars
$1.5Million with western union Benin Republic this 2012.And we are here to inform you that we have meeting today with His Excellency Mr. President Dr Thomas Boni Yayi and the other officials who knows about your payment and the meeting was to inform them about your delaying regarding the receiving of your $1.5 Million and they said that we should meet the Western Union for them to release the funds to us so that we can send it to you through diplomatic way and we have arranged with Scarlet Courier Delivery Company for the delivery and now your funds is with them and what is needed is your reconfirmation information to avoid any wrong delivery .
YOUR FULL NAME.............
HOME OR OFFICE ADDRESS..................
TELEPHONE NUMBERS..............
CITY.............................
ARRIVING AIRPORT.......
And please bear in mind that the funds is with them now and you don't need to delay to contact them and they will also give you your
registeration code number to you direct because we don't want to know it .
SCARLET COURIER COMPANY
E-mail --- scarletcompany86@yahoo.fr
Contact Person----Mr. William Smith.
Telephone----+229 98914872
The money you will pay to them is $85 for there security fee and we did not pay it because they have sealled the package and we can not
open it in there present because they don't surpose to know what the content of package is because we trusted no body now.
And again the instruction His Excellency Mr. President Dr Thomas Boni Yayi passed to us to inform you is that the package will be claiming
back within three days if you delay to contact the SCARLET COURIER COMPANY E-mail --- scarletcompany86@yahoo.fr
Receiver Name....... Gabriel Eze C.
City..........Cotonou
Country.:Benin Republic
Question.:Receiver Country?
Answer.:Benin Republic
Amount..............$85
MTCN.....................
Yours Faithfully
Chief Hon,Jeff Robert Carl
E- mail (interpolpoliceunit@atlantisgoose.com )
Tel. +229-67359342
Inspector General of fraud International Interpol Police Force Unity.
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