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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mona Saeedi" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <contactme@safadisaeedi.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:23:47 -0400
Subject: From : Mona Saeedi
Dear Friend,
I am Mrs.Mona Saeedi a Muslim woman who was married to Late Engr. Nasser Safadi Saeedi {PhD} who worked with MULTINATIONAL OIL COMPANY EXXON AS A DRILLING RIG SUPPLIER in UAE (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) for 17 years before he died on the 31st July 2001. Before his death, he deposited some amount with a bank In Asia.Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next one year due to cancer problem. Having known my condition, I decided to donate this fund to a Charity organization or good person that will utilize this money in good faith by setting up a charity organisation.
I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and I kept this deposit secret till date, this is why I am taking this decision. Upon your reply I shall give you the contact of the bank. I will also issue a letter of authorization to the bank that will prove you as the present beneficiary of this money.
Please send your reply to my private Email: contactme@safadisaeedi.com
Await your responds soon.
Mrs.Mona Saeedi
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Anti-fraud resources:
