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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:
- "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. )
- "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)
- "(ecowas)" (the name of a person or institution often appearing in 419 scams)
- "cotonou" (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.
- 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.
- diplomaticagent445@gmail.com (email address has been used in a known fraud before)
Fraud email example:
From: "Mr.Richard Maxwell" <"WWW."@rose.ocn.ne.jp>
Reply-To: "Mr.Richard Maxwell" <richardmaxwell77700@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2016 19:30:22 +0900 (JST)
Subject: Dear Beneficiary
I’m diplomat JAMES IBE ; I have been trying to
reach you on your
telephone about an hour now just to inform you
about my successful
arrival in John F.Kennedy International Airport
with your two boxes of
consignment worth $9.5 nine Million Five Hundred
Thousand Dollars
which I have been instructed by (ECOWAS) to
delivered to you.
The Airport authority demanded for all the legal
back up papers to
prove to them that the fund is no way related
with drug nor fraud
money, I have presented the papers I handed to
them and they are very
much pleased with the paper’s I presented but the
only thing that is
still keeping me here is the airport delivery Tag
which is not placed
on the boxes, one of the Airport Authority has
advise that we get the
delivery tag so that I can exit the airport
immediately and make my
delivery successful.
I try to reason with them and they stated the
delivery tag will cost
us just $150.00 Dollars only to get the two tag
placed on the boxes as
that tag will enable me get to your house
successfully without any
interference,they scanned the boxes and found out
that the fund is 100
% spend able and accepted by any bank in the
whole world.
Please try and reach me with by text massages as
I cannot answer my
call at the moment number 95_73_63_45 I can not
afford to spend more
time here due to other delivery I have to take
care of in Bangkok.
Here are the papers backing the funds together
with my ID CARD as I
can accompany you to your bank were you will
deposit the fund
successfully with these papers. I have more vital
paper with me but
I can only present you the hard copy when I reach
your house as that
it’s the diplomatic rules, such as authorization
to deliver.
You can direct the tag fee to our Head Office as
they will get it here
for you and they are entitled to receive and make
any payment to
foreign countries authority.
diplomaticagent445@gmail.com
RECEIVER NAME...KEN DOZIE
RECEIVER COUNTRY...BENIN REPUBLIC
RECEIVER CITY....COTONOU
AMOUNT.........$150.ONLY
SECURITY QUESTION....
SECURITY ANSWER......
MTCN?
SENDERS NAME?
SENDERS COUNTRY?
Regards,
Diplomat JAMES IBE.
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