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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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "@lawyer.com" (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
- 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.
- dunster.associates@lawyer.com (Outblaze.com, Hong Kong; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: Rennard Dunster <duns.associates0@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 03:55:24 +0200
Subject: Re: Dunster & Associates
Tel: +27- 61 437 7531
Fax: +27-86 600 5021
Attn: Sir,
My name is Rennard Dunster a lawyer (Dunster & Associates) Cape-Town,South
Africa. Please if after reading this proposal and you are not interested,
please!!! do not disclose details to anybody because the people concerned
are top and influence officials and do not want their image to be dented.
It happened that my client a German contractor by the name MR. MIROSLAV
LAHM was awarded a contract by the South African government under Contract
Project Review Commission of the Republic of South Africa for the 2010
World Cup. He completed the contract on 3rd of April 2010 and was given a
payment approval order to be paid on the 17th of May 2010. But MR. MIROSLAV
LAHM did not live to collect the balance of the contract sum as we learnt
he died on a plane crash with his family in Tripoli – Libya on the 12th of
May 2010.
Following the incident, the Republic of South African Government through
their Contract Project Review Commission mandated that I must present my
late client’s next of kin who would be the beneficiary to the contract sum
as contained in the contract file with Ref: CPRC/RSA/FGC/10. To my greatest
surprise, his next of kin was with him in the crashed flight in Tripoli –
Libya. I and top three members of the Commission decided to seek your
partnership to act as the beneficiary and provide a bank account for the
transfer with the intention of sharing it among us since MR. MIROSLAV LAHM
and the next of kin are not alive to lay claim of this contract amount.
We need your acceptance letter as soon as possible before the Government
decide on returning this sum back to the government treasury account as
unclaimed bill.
Anticipating your response.
Kind Regards.
Mr. Rennard Dunster
Dunster & Associates (Cape Town)
Official E-mail: dunster.associates@lawyer.com
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