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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:
- "god fearing " (scammers in West Africa like to use religious phrases)
- This email message is a orphan scam.
Fraud email example:
From: From Stephanie Kouajo <adt.intercon@gmail.com>
Reply-To: amour.sk24@live.com
Date: Sat, 6 Jul 2013 11:23:39 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Dearest Respectful,
Dearest Respectful,
I am very sorry If I may have intruded into your personal contact without your permission, I am writing you this message with tears and sorrow of what political crisis has caused to me and please for God?s sake I want you to consider this my proposition and rescue me out of this critical condition that I am facing here because my life is at stake in this country. My late father use to be one of the famous and wealthy Cocoa producers here before he was shut with my mother on the 4th March 2011 in our house by the rebels loyal to Mr. Alassane Dramane Ouattara because my late father use to be a well known supporter of the ex arrested president Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, oh may their gentle souls rest in peace. AMEN.
My parents were shut by the rebel?s right in my present in our house by 2:30 pm after we took our lunch together and decided to take some rest. My mother died instant while my father died in the hospital where he was rushed to after 48 hours. Before my father finally gave up the ghost he secretly told me that there is an amount $2.5 Millions USD which he left in a suspense account in a bank. My late father gave me an outstanding instruction that incase if he did not survive the situation that I should without delay seek for a God fearing person abroad who can assist me to claim the fund from the bank there and get the money lodged into his or her account and the person must help me to come over his or her country to establish a new life and further my study at the same time help me to invest the fund into a very good business. I have decided to offer you 20% of the total sum.
My name is Miss Stephanie. I got interested to contact you for business assistance. Please I want you to contact consider this email for further explanations concerning this fund. I have inheritance of $2.5Millions USD from my late parents which he deposited in the FINANCIAL HOUSE, and I need you to assist me to invest this money into your country.
I will explain everything in detail concerning this fund as soon as I receive your mail.
My Love and Regards to you
Miss Stephanie Kouajo
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