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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:
- "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. )
- "cotonou" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
- 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.
- +229 (Benin, probably a prepaid mobile phone)
Fraud email example:
From: FBI OFFICE <fbifederal09@gmail.com>
Reply-To: fbibureauheadoffice@yahoo.com.hk
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:57:54 +0800 (CST)
Subject: 9TH JANUARY 2013 LAST UPDATE.
18HOURS TIME
Robert S. Mueller,
III
Senior Office Department
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
FBI.WASHINGTON DC
Know More About Me: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/
executives/director
9TH JANUARY 2013 LAST UPDATE.
I AM SORRY FOR THE
LATE REPLY I WAS NOT FEELING GOOD ALL THIS WHILE DUE TO OFFICE STRESS BUT
EVERYTHING IS OK NOW DUE TO I FOLLOWED MY DOCTOR ADVICE AND STAYED OUT OF OFFICE
FOR TWO DAYS. I RESUMED OFFICE SOME HOURS BACK AND I RECEIVED UPDATE FROM MR.
ANDREW HILL HE TOLD ME THERE WILL BE AN INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT TODAY BY 9PM AND
MR. ANDREW HILL WILL ACT AS YOUR DIPLOMAT AND DELIVER THE PACKAGE TO YOU WHICH
WILL TAKE ONLY 18 HOURS TO GET THE PACKAGE DELIVERED.
NOTE:
THE PACKAGE YOU WILL RECEIVE CONTAIN A VISA CREDIT CARD WHICH CONTAIN $20
MILLION USD, MASTER CREDIT CARD WHICH CONTAIN $200,000 AND A VERIFIED CASHIER
CHECK WORTH $3 MILLION USD WITH THE REQUIRED SECURITY DOCUMENT WHICH WAS MADE IN
YOUR NAME AS THE SOLE OWNER AND IT ALSO INCLUDE THE SECURITY PIN YOU WILL USE TO
TRANSACT WITH BOTH CREDIT CARDS.
THE SUM OF $48 IS REQUIRED TO
ENABLE OKOLO AUGUSTINE GET A DIPLOMATIC PACKAGE SEAL WITH TAG OR ELSE THE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CUSTOMS WILL NOT ALLOW HIM TO BOARD THE FLIGHT WITH THE
PACKAGE AND THIS DIPLOMATIC PACKAGE SEAL WITH TAG WILL BE MADE IN YOUR NAME AS
THE OWNER OF THE PACKAGE.
THERE IS NO MUCH TIME LEFT AND THE FEE
NEED TO BE PAID TODAY TO ENABLE HIM BOARD TONIGHT FLIGHT AND IT WILL TAKE 18
HOURS TO GET THE PACKAGE DELIVERED TO YOU. SEND THE $48 CHARGE FEE AND GET YOUR
PACKAGE DELIVERED WITHIN 18 HOURS AND THIS WILL BE THE ONLY FEE AND LAST FEE
REQUIRED FROM YOU TOWARD THIS TRANSACTION.
USE THE DETAILS
BELOW TO SEND THE $48 VIA WESTERN UNION.
RECEIVER
NAME:.OGUGUA PIUS
ADDRESS: 12 EMBASSY STREET
CITY: PORTO-NOVO
STATE:
COTONOU
COUNTRY: REPUBLIC OF BENIN
ZIP CODE: +229
TEXT QUESTION:
GOODS
ANSWER: PACKAGE
AWAIT YOUR REPLY AND THE REQUIRED PAYMENT
CONFIRMATION DETAILS..
STAYS BLESS.
ROBERT S. MUELLER, III
SENIOR OFFICE
DEPARTMENT
Federal Bureau Of Investigation FBI.WASHINGTON DC
Know More
About Me: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/ executives/director
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Anti-fraud resources:
