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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.
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
Fraud email example:
From: "ZACK CHERRY" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <zack.cherry@consultant.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 12:53:27 +0100
Subject: RELIABLE BUSINESS PROPOSALS
Dear Good Friend .
I know this letter will definitely come to you as a huge surprise, but I implore you to take time to go through it carefully, as the decision you make will go a long way to determine our future business relationship.
I want to confirm to you that my interest to invest good money internationally is strong. I need to move about $12.5milion for foreign investment. I have decided to use this amount as foreign investment and also buy this property and I want to present you as a foreign investor and authorize for the money to be moved to you in your country. I need someone I can trust so I can authorize you to be the beneficiary of the money 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 investment will you recommend?
What % share will you want to take for assisting me?
This is a very legal transaction and everything will be coordinated in black and white. The essence of secrecy cannot be underestimated because, a lot of money is involved, and you cannot trust anybody especially when it comes to this amount of money.
God bless you as you consent to work with my team in honesty. Let me know if we can work together. I have strong plans to compensate your assistance. I will really like to talk with you on the phone.
Warm regards
Zack Cherry
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Anti-fraud resources:
