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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)
- "% will be for you" (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: SMITH AWALA <smith.awala@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: smith.washington01@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:44:11 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: My Name is Mr.Smith Awala.
Dear Friend,
My Name is Mr.Smith Awala. I am a banker. I hail from Benin Republic. My reason for contacting you is to transfer an abandoned US$5.5M (Five Million Five Hundred United States Dollars to your Bank Account. The owner of this fund died with his Next Of Kin. I want to present you to the bank as the Next of Kin/beneficiary of this fund. 40% will be for you while 60% will be for me. Further details of the transaction shall be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your return mail indicating your interest. Have a great day.
>From Smith Awala,
IDB Bank,Benin Republic.
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Anti-fraud resources:
