|
|
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:
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- "a security company " (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. )
- "the consignment" (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)
- "consignment " (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. Riek Machar <drriekmachar@dr.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2015 22:44:19 +0200
Subject: Investor Needed Urgent
Dear Sir/Madam,
My name is Dr. Riek Machar, Former vice president of South Sudan is I want investor who can help me buy chemical to clean my funds which is in a consignment box in a security company here in South Africa that contains an amount of USD$100 million. The money was stamped with Federal Reserve stamp of America on it. I made this money through the crude oil deals I made in the past.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/2013/12/profile-south-sudan-riek-machar-20131230201534595392.html
I am looking for an investor who can help me buy the chemical to clean the stamp on the notes.
I contacted someone in Europe who told me that he can help me to clean the stamp on the notes. I only need to buy chemical called Automatic Cleaning Powder (ACP) .The money for the chemical is very expensive for me to buy that's why I'm contacting you so that you can help me to purchase the chemical.
I am ready to give you 30% out of the money after it has been cleaned; the man who will clean the money lives in Europe. I will ship the consignment box to you in your country so that the gentleman can clean the money at your house or any location of your choice.
Please if you are interested to assist me get back to me, so that we can discuss more about this business.
Thanks
Dr. Riek Machar
|
Anti-fraud resources:
