|
|
joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
|
|
"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:
- "western union" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "mtcn" (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. NEVER send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally - NO EXCEPTIONS! Instant wire transfer services are not meant to be used with strangers because they offer no protection against fraud. That is precisely why the criminals want you send money that way. )
- "lagos" (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.
- Western Union money transfer is completely untraceable and therefore is *not* safe to use with anyone you do not know personally. It is the preferred method of online criminals to collect money from their victims.
- 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.
- a_raymond67@yahoo.com (Yahoo; can be used from anywhere worldwide)
Fraud email example:
From: WESTERN UNION MGT SCHEME <bullealexjunior@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: WESTERN UNION MGT SCHEME <a_raymond67@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2014 16:28:02 +0000 (UTC)
Subject: WESTERN UNION PAYMENT
 WELCOME TO WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER.
ADDRESS:14AB ALABA INT'L ROAD, LAGOS
NIGERIA.
TEL: (+234) 8068 728242
BONUS!! BONUS!! BONUS!!! FOR THE MONTH OF
DECEMBER 2014.DEAR CUSTOMER,
                          Â
THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT WE ARE GIVING AWAY BONUS 2014 TO ALL OUR BENEFICIARIES IN THE NEW MONTH OF DECEMBER 2014 AND YOUR EMAIL WAS AMONG THEM , AS A RESULT OF YOUR OUT_STANDING FUND OF $3.5M USD, YOU ARE HEREBY REQUESTED TO PAY $98USD INSTEAD OF THE INITIAL FEE YOU WHERE ASK TO PAY BEFORE, THIS IS AS A RESULT OF BONUS 2014 TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY ONE AMONG THE LIST RECEIVE THEIR PAYMENT AND YOU WILL BE ABLE PICK UP $5,000 USD DAILYÂ VIA WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER UNTIL YOUR TOTAL FUND IS COMPLETELY TRANSFERRED TO YOU.TRY TO SEND THE $98 TODAY SO THAT WE MAY CONFIRM AND RELEASE YOUR FIRST PAYMENT TODAY.SEND THE FEE TO MR NWEKE ALEX VIA WESTERN UNION LOCATION CLOSE TO YOU. USE BELOW CORRECTLY FOR PICK AND QUICK TRANSFER PROCEEDING.
RECEIVER NAME ......NWEKE ALEX
RECEIVER COUNTRY......NIGERIA
RECEIVER CITY .......LAGOS
TEXT QUESTION........MY
ANSWER........BONUS
FEE........$98USD
MTCN.......
SENDER NAME ..........?WE WISH YOU GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY NEW MONTH OF DECEMBER.BEST REGARDS
REV. ALEXANDER RAYMOND
Email: a_raymond67@yahoo.com
|
Anti-fraud resources:
