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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:
- An email address listed inside this email has been used in a known fraud before.
- 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:
- "i will like you to " (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "top secret" (scammers urge victims to keep the transaction secret because they don't want anyone to point out to them that it is a scam)
- "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.
- 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.
- This email lists free webmail addresses. Use of such addresses is typical for scams. Lotteries, banks and any but the smallest of companies do not normally use such addresses. Criminals use them to anonymously send and receive email at Internet cafes.
- ahassanonly@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Ms. Rose William" <p_internationalsarl@yahoo.fr>
Reply-To: <ahassanonly@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 13:16:02 +0100
Subject: Re: The Payment Details.
--
Good Day,
Greetings and I hope you are doing very well today.
I am Dr Ali Hassan the chief Medical consultant at Golf Clinic in
Cotonou-Benin Republic and I have a Patient who hails from your country
but unfortunately is in coma right now due to complications from an
EBOLA disease and has the sum of $3.2 Million United States(Three
Million Two Hundred Thousand) Dollars and 30kgs of gold dust deposited
in a bank and security house here he want you to claim it on his behalf
to your country for charity purpose.
Please, I will like you to contact me for further details if you are
alive as this is a very sensitive issue that needs urgent attention from
you and this is of utmost secrecy as such you must keep it a top secret
pending when the funds get to you
Your friend,
Dr. Ali Hasaan
Golf Clinic Cotonou
C/201, Sikecodji, Cotonou
Republic of Benin
Tel: +229 65 03 27 54
Email: ahassanonly@gmail.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
