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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:
- ",000,000" (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.
- 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.
- info.presidentialteam@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Presidential Team" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <info.presidentialteam@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2016 12:28:58 +1100
Subject: FUND STATUS NOTIFICATION
ATTENTION:
We are the new financial management team set up by the new president of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari as the PRESIDENTIAL TEAM to monitor and facilitate the status of people owed by this country because it has been used as a tool to attack the new president at the international level. Therefore we have been mandated to communicate with some of our foreign counterparts who were not paid during the last regime. The President Buhari led government is working fervently to eradicate corruption and other social vices in the nation, hence we appeal to you to get back to us with all your experiences in the past and the amount owed to you for proper direction and guidance of the process of receiving your fund within 48 working hours. Note that this first badge will only pay not more than $10,000,000 as a first payment; this is applicable to clients whose funds are above that level.
Further directives and advice will be made known to you after you get back to us.
Dr Hezekiah Onuoha
Coordinator
Presidential Team
info.presidentialteam@gmail.com
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Anti-fraud resources:
