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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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)
- "courier company" (Courier companies mentioned in 419 scams are always fake. They will have you send money to them, but won't deliver anything. )
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
Fraud email example:
From: Marlina Anita Carlos <mstinamaneka@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2012 12:58:32 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Your Parcel Delivery Notification.
Attn., How are you today? I hope you're fine.We are contacting you because of your ATM CARD worth of One Million Five Hundred USD ($1.5MUSD) in our office waiting for your response to our office for the delivery of your ATM CARD to your designated address.Contact the Manager of GLOBAL BASIC COURIER COMPANY immediately and call him as soon as you contact him: NAME: Dr Jarry DamieEMAIL: ( info.globalbasiccourier@ymail.com )Tel: +229-985-919-07 This is the information we need from you to delivery your ATM CARD to you.Therefore, fill the bellow information and contact the Global Basic Courier with your delivery information to send your ATM CARD to you: 1. YOUR FULL NAME2. YOUR HOME ADDRESS.3. YOUR AGE AND OCCUPATION.4. MOBILE NUMBER5. CONSIGNMENT NUMBER: ( DCJKT00678G )6. YOUR PASSPORT OR DRIVERS LICENSE. Remember to quote the consignment number when you contact Global Basic Courier for identification of your consignment. Sincerely,Dr Jarry Damie.
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Anti-fraud resources:
