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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:
- "million pounds" (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: "Dr Eric Siegel" <winnieqiu2000@gmail.com>
Reply-To: dr_ericsiegel@gmx.com
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 18:46:00 -0600
Subject: Re: I hope you find this useful
Hello,
Hope this email meets you in good health, I want to confirm to you that my
interest to invest in a lucrative business over there in your country in
partnership with a credible person that i can trust.
However with trust I dependably contact you and I implore you to take
time to read this letter carefully, as the decision you make will go a
long way to determine our future business relationship.
Following my interest to have this fund invested over there,
I am a portfolio and investment manager in the UK,The fund was generated
from several ROI (Return on Investment. This is a personal deal I executed
with my office and I do not want the payments to come to our company
accounts as I will be unable to claim it alone. I have decided to use this
amount(14.5 million pounds)as foreign real estate investment.
I want to present you as a foreign investor and authorize for the money to
be moved to you in your country to invest in real estate under your full
supervision..
I will need to trust you, then I can authorize you to be the beneficiary
of the money for investments but I need to be assured on my following
concerns;
Can I trust you with the fund?
Can you keep a secret?
Can you help me find a good investment for the fund?
What areas of real estate investment will you recommend?
What % share will you want to take for assisting me?
Everything will be coordinated straightforwardly and in confidence.
Thank you as you consent to work with my team in honesty.
Let me know if we can work together. I have definite plans to compensate
you reasonably for your assistance.
kindly reply as soon as possible.
Regards
Dr Eric Siegel
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