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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)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: Abdoulaye Barry <abdoulaybary@gmail.com>
Reply-To: abdoulaybarry@ymail.com
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 15:16:00 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Hello Dear
Dear Friend,Let me start by introducing myself,I am Dr. Abdoulaye Barry Manager of Bank Of Africa Burkina faso. I am writting you this letter based on the latest development at my Department which I will like to bring to your personal edification. ($18.5 Million transfer claims). This is a legitimate transaction and I agreed to offer you 40% of this money as my foreign partner after confirmation of the fund in your bank account, If you are interested,get back to me with the following details below.
(1)Your age........
(2)Your occupation.....
(3)Your marital status.....
(4)Your full residential address.......
(5)Your private phone and fax number and your complete name.......
As soon as I receive these data's, I will forward to you the application form which you will send to the bank.
Best Regard
Dr. Abdoulaye Barry
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Anti-fraud resources:
