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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:
- "barr." (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr. Richard Tam." (may be fake)
Reply-To: <iriskomen007@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Jul 2013 06:02:49 +0100
Subject: Good Day To You!!
Dear,
I am Barr. Richard Tam, I am contacting you because of the notice I
received from the Bank concerning my late client estate worth 11.3m. Your
assistance is needed for immediate claim and transfer of the said estate.
My proposition to you is to seek your consent to present you as the
next-of-kin
and beneficiary of my named client, since you have the same last name, so that
the proceeds of this account can be paid to you.
Please contact me to indicate your interest.
Regard,
Barr. Richard Tam.
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Anti-fraud resources:
