|
|
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:
- "dear friend" (a common phrase found in 419 scams)
- "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. )
- "united state of america" (this email uses bad English)
- "abuja" (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.
Fraud email example:
From: "James F. Entwistle" <mulugeta.chsa@ethionet.et>
Reply-To: "James F. Entwistle" <james.entwisle2016@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2016 23:59:12 +0300 (EAT)
Subject: Embassy of the United States of America
Embassy of the United States of America
Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive
Central District Area, Abuja.
Dear Friend
THIS IS Ambassador James F. Entwistle U.S.
Ambassador to Nigeria.
UNITED STATE OF AMERICA AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA. I
SHALL BE COMING TO
YOUR COUNTRY FOR AN OFFICIAL MEETING ON TUESDAY AND
I WILL BE BRINGING
YOUR FUNDS THROUGH AN ATM MASTER CARD OF $15M ALONG
WITH ME BUT THIS
TIME I WILL NOT GO THROUGH CUSTOMS BECAUSE AS AN
AMBASSADOR TO
NIGERIA, I AM A US GOVERNMENT AGENT AND I HAVE THE
VETO POWER TO GO
THROUGH CUSTOMS. AS SOON AS I AM THROUGH WITH THE
MEETING I SHALL THEN
PROCEED TO YOUR ADDRESS. (SEND YOUR CELL PHONE
NUMBER AND THE ADDRESS
WHERE YOU WANT ME TO BRING THE PACKAGE).
YOU HAVE REALLY PAID SO MUCH IN THIS DELIVERY THAT
MAKES ME WONDER.
YOU ARE A VERY LUCKY PERSON BECAUSE I SHALL BE
BRINGING IT MYSELF AND
THERE IS NOTHING ANYONE CAN DO ABOUT IT. CHECK HERE:
http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/biography.html
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY GOING TO BE GREAT DOUBT AND
DISTRUST IN YOUR HEART
IN RESPECT TO THIS EMAIL COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT
SO MANY MISCREANTS
AND IMPOSTERS(SCAMMERS) HAVE TAKEN POSSESSION OF THE
INTERNET TO
FACILITATE THEIR NEFARIOUS DEEDS, THEREBY MAKING IT
EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT FOR GENUINE AND LEGITMATE BUSINESS CLASS
PERSONS TO GET
ATTENTION AND RECONGNITION
YOUR PACKAGE($15M) MUST BE REGISTERED AS AN
AMBASSADORIAL PACKAGE FOR
ME TO DEFEAT ALL ODDS AND THE COST OF REGISTERING IT
IS $150.THE FEE
MUST BE PAID IN THE NEXT 50 HOURS VIA WESTERN UNION
SO THAT ALL
NECESSARY ARRANGEMENT CAN BE MADE BEFORE TIME WILL
BE AGAINST US.
YOU SHOULD SEND THE FEE DIRECTLY TO THE CARGO
REGISTRATION OFFICER
WITH THE INFO BELOW-
RECEIVERS NAME: MORDI UCHE
ADDRESS: NIGERIA
TEXT QUESTION: FOR
ANSWER: DELIVERY
AMOUNT $150
AS SOON AS YOU SEND THE FEE MAKE SURE YOU SEND ME
THE PAYMENT
INFORMATION. MY FLIGHT IS TUESDAY AND I EXPECT YOU
TO COMPLY BEFORE
THEN SO THAT THE DELIVERY CAN BE COMPLETED. IF YOU
DO NOT COMPLY, THEN
IT WILL NOT BE MY FAULT IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE YOUR
PACKAGE.
SIGN
Ambassador James F. Entwistle
U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria
CHECK HERE VIEW MY DATA:
http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/biography.html
|
Anti-fraud resources:
