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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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- This email message is a 419 scam. Please see our 419 FAQ for more details on such scams.
- 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.
- margaretchou@accountant.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: Margaret Chou <margaretchou@accountant.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2015 09:06:43 +0530 (IST)
Subject: HELLO
Hi dear friend
I'M Margaret Chou.looking forward to get a nice friend.I will like to establish mutual Business friendship with you.i am sorry that i did not say much about myself because is confidential.please write to me so that we can move from there I will introduce myself better .my private e-mail address is
( margaretchou@accountant.com )
margaretchou@accountant.com
Thanks and regards.
Yours.MARGARET CHOU.
-- Disclaimer: The information transmitted in this email, including attachments, is intended only for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.Any views expressed in any message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Amrita University. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this information.
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Anti-fraud resources:
